


Gods and Mortals: Tony Stark's Lament

by nicholasbenson01



Series: Gods and Mortals [2]
Category: Alternate Universe - Fandom, Iron Man (Movies), Sherlock (TV), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-23
Updated: 2013-05-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 07:55:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicholasbenson01/pseuds/nicholasbenson01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Tony is shattered when Odin takes Loki away from him and back to Asgard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Victim of the Crime

**Author's Note:**

> This is a ficlet and a spin off for the actual epic story I am working on with Stareena - Gods and Mortals: Life on Asgard. I hope you enjoy this little ficlet. It will have multiple chapters, each one updating Tony's condition all the way up until he ends up on Asgard again. 
> 
> Certain Songs will be used as Chapter Titles. This Chapter I chose Victim of the Crime by Phoenix. 
> 
> [Part of the Gods and Mortal: Life on Asgard](http://archiveofourown.org/works/560279/chapters/1000774) Series

Tony was totally shattered after Odin left with Loki and brought him back to the safety of Asgard. He knew that his daddy did it to keep him safe and shielded from the wrath that would befall Loki should Thanos find him and torture him more for betraying him and not delivering the Tesseract to him as he had promised. But Gods, Tony was feeling like total fucking shit! 

He had laid sobbing on his bed for another hour. It wasn’t until he heard the knock on his bedroom door, and knew that it was Nat coming in to check on him. When he got up from the bed, he opened the door and shouted angrily at her, not meaning to. 

“What the fuck do you want now? Can’t you all just leave me the fuck alone?” Tony bellowed, as he glared down at her and made to close and lock the door on her. 

Nat stuck her booted foot in the door and pushed it open, as she grabbed onto Tony and yanked him out into the corridor. “No, Stark, we can’t leave you alone, you arrogant bastard! Where the hell has Loki gotten off to? You were supposed to be watching over him.”

“Go to hell, Romanov! I’m not in the mood for your Shield bullshit. He’s gone, all right. I got back here and he was just fucking gone! I need a fucking drink! So get the hell out of my way and get the hell out of my house, all of you!” Tony shouted, as he shoved past her and moved to the living room, but mainly the bar. He groaned when he saw the other Avengers there, even Thor was glaring at him with those accusatory eyes of his, and he was holding the Tesseract inside this this weird cylindrical device made of Asgardian Gold and crystal. 

He moved toward the bar and poured himself a large glass of scotch, sinking it down in one go, before he slammed the glass down on the counter top and stared at the unruly mob standing in front of the bar now. “What? What the fuck do you all want from me? He was already fucking gone by the time I got here, and you, Agent Romanov, were knocked unconscious yourself. So don’t you dare look at me with those accusatory eyes. It seems that perhaps his accomplice, Lady Adler, helped him to escape, because she was fucking gone too. Where is the good Doctor Selvig?” 

Rogers stepped up to the bar and leaned over it, as he stared into Tony’s eyes and started grumbling off his list of grievances that Tony barely listened to. “First off, we don’t believe you when you say that Loki was gone when you got here. Second of all, Stark, we think it was you who helped Loki escape, because you are in love with him. Third of all, Dr. Selvig is asleep on the sofa, in case you hadn’t noticed that in your apparent grief of the War Criminal being gone-”

Tony couldn’t stand anymore of Rogers’ fucking attitude, as he jumped over the top of the bar and grabbed the old man by his shirt, and pulled his face close to his. “You listen to me, you fucking bastard, I did not help Loki escape! He was fucking gone by the time I got here! I am sick and tired of your disgusting attitude and your petty jealousy, Rogers. So keep your shit to yourself, before I fucking bash your stupid Capsicle brains in. Have you got that?” 

“Yes, yes, of course, Stark. I’m sorry, all right? I didn’t mean to accuse you of doing something bad. Please, just release me now?” Rogers stumbled over his words as he stared at Tony with a shocked expression on his face. He grunted when Tony shoved him away and he fell back against Thor’s muscular body when the God caught him in his arms. 

Tony sighed and waved his hands at all of them in disgust as he returned to the bar and poured himself another glass of scotch, sinking that back just as quickly. He rolled his eyes when Thor moved to stand behind the bar right in his personal space. “What do you want now, Thor? I told you, Loki was gone when I got here. Just, don’t say another word to me, and please take the Tesseract and yourself back to Asgard. I want to be alone for a while. Plus, I gotta fix up the Tower and help the Mayor fix up New York, and I don’t have half the fucking strength to do all that since before this all started.” 

Thor sighed and shook his head as he folded his arms over his chest and spoke in his stern tone of voice. “Son of Stark, I can see there is something amiss with you, and it is much more than fatigue of the battle. What has happened to you from the time you left us to the time you arrived here?” 

“Nothing happened, Thor, I swear to you, I’m just tired. You need to get back to Asgard with that thing, so Thanos doesn’t come after you and kill us all,” Tony voiced, as he moved past Thor and stalked toward the sofa. He stared down at Dr. Selvig and took another large swig of his double scotch. He was startled when the man suddenly woke up and stared up at Tony with a perplexed expression on his face. 

Nat had moved to stand beside Tony and she knew in her heart that he had seen Loki leave there, and it was probably with that woman, Irene Adler. She knew that Tony was in love with the God and that him leaving broke his heart in two. She was bold enough to rub his arm and she smiled at him when he turned his angry brown eyes on her. 

Tony sighed when Nat stared at him with those concerned eyes of her, but he shook his head and moved away from her as he sat down on the arm of the sofa. “Hey, Doc, you all right there? I found you and Agent Romanov passed out on the balcony when I got here. Any ideas what happened to Loki and Irene Adler?”

“No, Mr. Stark, I do not have any idea what happened to them. I was put to sleep not long after the portal suddenly closed,” Selvig remarked, as he sat up on the sofa and smiled at the young female when she handed him a glass of water, which he drank down gratefully. 

“Humph, if you say so, Doc. Listen, I say we tell Fury and the fucking mayor to go fuck themselves. You should all scatter out across the country and just disappear so he can't touch us. I think I’m gonna return to my home in Malibu, and let this place be repaired by my workers. Except you, Thor, you have to get yourself back to Asgard….Now,” Tony offered, as he sank back more of his scotch and hoped to fuck they listened to him. He just needed to be alone so he could grieve over the loss of his precious Loki, and he didn’t need them all around him bothering him with their inane questions. 

The others stared at Tony and they all suddenly agreed with his suggestion. It was Banner who spoke up. “I think that’s the best idea I have heard in a while now. I’m going back to India again, and continue my work there.” 

“Good for you, Banner, I’m happy to hear it. Just…well….just make sure that you don’t fucking Hulk out on anyone else and almost fucking kill them, all right?” Tony retorted, as he glared at Banner and sank back the rest of his drink. Banner just shook his head and stared down at the floor feeling embarrassed. Good. Tony thought, you fucking bastard, you broke my poor Loki. I fucking hate you. 

Nat eyed Tony and didn’t want to leave him alone, but when Clint yanked on her arm and stared pointedly at her, she agreed reluctantly. “Fine, Tony, but you call me if you need me, all right? I don’t want you drinking yourself into oblivion-”

“Shut the fuck up, Romanov! You are not my fucking Father, all right? So stop trying to be a mother hen to me! Just go off with your fucking archer and make sweet little archer babies,” Tony shot back as he pushed past her again and moved back to the bar, where he filled up his glass, and sighed when the Avengers all stared at him. “What now? Why can’t you all just go on your way and leave me the fuck alone?” 

“Because Tony, you know damn well that Thor cannot leave from Stark Tower, Fury would probably track it. We have to go someplace more remote,” Clint finally spoke up, as he leaned against the bar and glared at the inventor with contempt. 

“Oh, fine, sure, I’ll just fucking pack myself off to the fucking park then with all of you, then, shall I?” Tony voiced acidly, as he sank back his drink and then slammed the glass down on the table. “Fine, all right, let’s get down to the fucking Scooby Doo van and drive to a remote part of Central Park. In fact, we can even use a few of my cars, and then you can all get the fuck out of my sight.” 

They all smiled at Tony when he mentioned being able to use some of his cars. Tony just grumbled all the way down to the garage of the Tower and sighed as each of the Avengers chose a car, Nat and Clint chose the vintage 1969 Corvette, while Bruce chose the 1977 black and gold striped Mustang, while Rogers chose the old 1940’s Indian Motorcycle. Tony let Bruce drive the car, while Dr. Selvig and Thor drove inside the old Dodge van the man picked out. They all met up at the abandoned part of Central Park, where Thor took up the special casing holding the Tesseract and they all said their goodbyes. 

Tony watched as Thor moved into a small circle inside the pavement over a small bridge and activated the device that held the Tesseract, and before he shimmered out of sight, he waved goodbye to his friends. 

The rest of the Avengers said their goodbyes and Tony shook their hands, and Bruce decided to give Tony a lift to the airport, where he caught the first flight out of fucking New York and went to his Malibu home. The night he arrived there, he totally trashed the place in a fit of anger and loneliness as he moved to his bedroom and stared down at the sheets. He couldn’t fucking sleep, he was missing his sweet Loki so much. His soft kisses, the intense way they made love, with the God using his magic energy to give the both so much heightened pleasure. He had fallen so hard so fast for the God, and all he wanted to do was drink and cry his fucking eyes out at the loss of his lover. 

“Oh, Gods, Loki, I miss you so fucking much! I wish you were here with me still! This is not fucking fair!” Tony cried out to the heavens above. He knew, he just fucking knew that that fucking cheeky tiger-eyed God, Heimdall was watching him from Asgard now. He wondered if the God felt sorry for him. He wondered how Loki was. He wondered how fucking Odin was treating Loki, and if he indeed was keeping him safe. Oh, fucking hell, his heart was breaking in two and he wondered if he would ever mend again. He just drank himself into oblivion that night, and for the rest of the night, he had his hand on the emerald pendant his sweet Loki had given to him. He watched as the memories of their time together moved across his mind as if they were happening all over again. He was pleased that they didn’t move too quickly and that he got relive their time together at leisurely pace. He drank two bottles of vodka and then passed out on his bed, dreaming of a beautiful God, the God of Mischief, his gorgeous Loki Laufeyson, nae, Loki Odinson. 

Over the next several months this was all Tony did. He hid away in his Malibu home and drank himself into oblivion, while he kept touching that emerald pendant over and over each and every hour of every day.


	2. Frontiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Tony is surprised by an unexpected , but very much wanted visitor, who cheers him right up and gets him on his feet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a ficlet and a spin off for the actual epic story I am working on with Stareena - Gods and Mortals: Life on Asgard. I hope you enjoy this little ficlet. It will have multiple chapters, each one updating Tony's condition all the way up until he ends up on Asgard again.
> 
> Certain Songs will be used as Chapter Titles. This Chapter I chose Frontiers by Crosses.
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/560279/chapters/1000774

Tony was standing in the middle of his bedroom with Loki, they were holding hands and they were laughing and crying at the same time. Heimdall had opened the Vortex for Loki to return to Asgard. They had spend a lovely evening together and now it was time for the God to return home. 

“Oh, Loki, my love, thank you for coming to see me, babe, you have made me the happiest I have been since you were taken away from me in New York City. I will miss you terribly again, but I know now that you will return again,” Tony said, as he placed his hands on Loki’s cheeks, he caressed the soft skin and wiped away the tears with his thumbs, as they were fell down his lover’s face. “Goodbye, Loks, I love you so much.” 

“Oh, Tony Stark, this is not goodbye, my love, this is just farewell. I will see you again, I promise. I love you too, so very much. Please take care of yourself,” Loki stated, as he leaned forward and pressed a quick, but still passionate kiss to his lover’s lips, before he felt the pull of the Vortex and heard Heimdall calling for him to enter. 

“I will, I promise, Loki, I feel much better knowing that I will see you again,” Tony mused, as he pressed harder into the kiss and gasped when their lips parted as Loki turned to walk into the swirling Vortex in the middle of Tony’s bedroom.

“Yes, you will…Oh…hold on a moment…” Loki said to Tony, as he held up his finger and then turned and listened to Heimdall relaying an important message that he had no idea what it meant.

“Prince Loki, do not forget to remind the Son of Stark to continue his association with SHIELD,” Heimdall spoke to Loki in his mind as he tapped his booted foot on the marble outside the special entry way back to Asgard and waited for the Prince to finish his time with the Midgardian. 

Loki shrugged his shoulders and then he turned to face Tony again. “ My dearest Tony, I am to remind you to continue your supposed association with the Midgardian Agency, SHIELD. Even though we both know you are a double agent, and whatever that message means, you had best do as Heimdall tells you, as he knows and sees all. Now, I must go, before the Guardian loses his patience and sends me hurtling into space. Farewell, my love. I will see you again soon.” 

“Yeah, no problem, Loks, my love. I guess I can check in with those nitwits to see what they are up to now,” Tony groused, but then it turned into a winning smile as he blew a kiss to Loki and winked when the God caught in his hands and pressed it to his lips, “I love you too, Loki. Hey, I don’t want you to get tossed into space, so you best be on your way. I’ll see you soon, babe. Stay safe and take care.” 

“You too, and you will, Tony Stark. Remember, just touch that pendant that I gave you and you will remember this evening and all the other times we were together,” Loki voiced, as he smiled and waved to Tony as he stepped further inside the swirling vortex and in a spark of green, gold and black sparks and smoke. He disappeared again as the hole closed up and left Tony feeling happy and sated, but also a little sad. 

That was how Tony’s night had ended. He had spent it with his sexy God of Mischief when Loki had magically appeared inside his bedroom to spend some time with him. Loki had told him that Heimdall, the tiger-eyed God, had let him move through the hidden portal from Asgard to Midgard, and he was thankful to him for that. Yeah, Thor had also told Loki how Tony had been in a downward spiral and had started drinking heavily. He thought it was a good, and didn’t resent the blond God for that, only because it brought his Loki baby to him again. 

Tony laughed to himself as he remembered how the God had snuck inside his bedroom-no inside his house-only because Tony had switched off Jarvis for a couple of days so he could have some peace and quiet. He felt terrible about how he had attacked Loki and basically manhandled him as he pulled his arms roughly behind his back when he thought he was a burglar who had broken into his home to either rob him or kill him or kidnap him. He could still see himself with his knee planted in the Gods back and his hands holding his arms behind his back and how Loki had shouted at him that it was he and not some finely dressed thief. He shook his head and smiled to himself as he moved into the bathroom and then stared up at the ceiling. “Jarvis, reassemble.” 

“Good morning, Sir. I trust you enjoyed your peaceful and quiet couple of days, then?” Jarvis immediately chimed in as he switched on the lights and the shower for Tony. 

“Mmhmm, and there’s that lovely sarcastic, snarky British sense of humor that I missed so much, Jarvis. Not,” Tony retorted, as he rolled his eyes at the AI and then removed his black cotton Asgardian sleep tunic and matching sleep trousers which he had kept from when Loki gave them to him in Stark Tower in New York City. “Yes, if you must know, I did enjoy the peaceful and quiet couple of days, Mr. snarky pants. Especially last night, when Loki visited me here.”

“Mr. Loki was here, Sir? How did he escape from Asgard? I thought he was taken away by Odin AllFather?” Jarvis asked in his soft accent.

Tony sighed and shook his head as he opened the glass door for the shower and stepped inside. “Never you mind that, you nosy Parker. He had help from the tiger-eyed God, Heimdall, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. Now, shift off so I can have my shower and remember more of my time with my sweet baby Loki.”

“Whatever you say, Sir. So, am I right in guessing that whenever Mr. Loki visits you and arrives, that I am not to set off the alarms?” Jarvis asked one final question, but the AI already knew what the answer would be. 

“Yes, Jarvis! Now, please shut up so I can get ready. Silent!” Tony grumbled, and the word immediately shut off the AI before he could ask anymore questions.

Tony sighed as he soaped up his body and his mind moved to the memory of he and Loki sharing the sweet kisses he shared with his lover. He could still taste the fresh fallen snow and wintergreen scent on his lips, that same scent that always permeated from Loki’s body and his lips. This sensation made him feel heady as his hand moved over his chest and down his stomach, where it rested on his growing erection, and as soon as he wrapped his fingers around his hardness, he felt a sudden surge of lust from the pendant as it radiated over his body. 

He could still picture the two of them holding each other, and all the other times they were together when Loki was still on Midgard, trying to rule the Earth. The times they made love, and Tony was lucky enough to have tasted Loki in his Jotun form. Gods! How he loved this man, the feel of his lips on his, how sweet they tasted, and the feeling of his large Godly cock buried deep inside him, making love to him. Oh…Loki…he hadn’t realised how he was stroking himself until he had a monstrous orgasm that made the magical emerald energy pendant glow brightly around his neck as it sent a surge of lust and euphoria and love through his entire body. Yes, he loved his sweet baby Loki, so much, and they had both exchanged words of love and adoration when he was here last night. 

Tony had not meant to make their last encounter into a sexual thing, he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t stop himself, and then he realised it must be the energy inside the pendant. It had taken over his mind and his body and brought out the urges to reach his powerful orgasm. He finished cleansing his body, then washed his hair, rinsed away the vanilla scented lather, and switched off the taps. Once he stepped out of the shower he reached for a fluffy white towel from the rack and wrapped it around his waist as he padded out of the bathroom and back inside the bedroom. When he walked past the king-sized bed he had a flash back of he and Loki laying in each other’s arms against the headboard. All the heartfelt words they spoke to each other, and how Loki had asked that he stop his drinking and get back to being his usual self again. He can still remember the scene perfectly. 

{Flash back} 

“Heimdall has granted me a couple of hours, but I do not want this to be about the sex, Tony Stark. I want you to know that I love you, for you, for who you are, and how you are here in my heart,” Loki began, as he reached for Tony’s hands and held them against his chest, where his heart was beating a hard, steady rhythm. “I need for you to take care of yourself, and stop drinking so much. I was devastated when Thor told me about your excessive drinking, and if I am to visit you from time to time while I am on Asgard, then I want to have someone to come and visit. Not someone who is going to end up in an infirmary half dying. Please, my darling Tony? I need you to promise me you will look out for yourself, and hold me close to your heart, with that special emerald magic pendant I gave to you.” 

Tony listened to Loki’s explanation, and he shook his head and smiled with teary eyes at his sexy God Lover. He had tears streaming down his face as he held Loki’s soft, cool hands in his own and kissed each of them in turn. “Oh, Loki, my darling, I love you too, so very much. I was heartbroken when Odin took you away. Thor was right, I did try to drink myself into oblivion, but a couple of friends intervened, and got me back on track. Now you’re here, and you’re making me feel ten thousand times better.” 

(Flash forward) 

Tony remembered how he had smiled warmly at Loki when he spoke those words to him. How his eyes had filled with tears, as they were doing now. He was pleased at the time when Loki had told him he would visit him from time to time, that warmed his heart and actually kick started his brain into action again. Oh, but then he remembered how they had watched that movie, Kate & Leopold, they sat arm in arm against the headboard of the bed he now sat down on, laying beneath the warm blankets. He could still see the Gods face light up when he watched the movie, how he had connected with the male character, played by Hugh Jackman. How he had so adorably questioned the plot of the movie: 

 

{Flash back} 

Loki questioned the plot of the movie, and Tony kissed the top of his head, as laid back against the headboard and kept his arms around the God’s waist. “Well, this one is about a Duke who travels in time from New York in 1876 to the present and falls in love with a career woman in modern New York City. I think you’ll like it, babe, especially the time traveling part.” 

“I see, so that man with the dark hair, he is there in the past New York, as he is dressed in those very fine clothes and he is going to end up in the future? How fascinating indeed, Anthony.” Loki mused, as he snuggled his body closer to Tony’s beneath the warm covers and they watched the movie together. 

They stayed like that through the entire film, laughing at the funny parts, while Loki shouted at the screen when the Duke from the past did not understand how to tell the woman from the future that he loved her. “I do naught understand how some Midgardians can not see things that are sometimes right in front of them. Wake up, man, tell her you love her, or you will lose her! You imbecile! I do like that little friend of his, the boy who is her brother and the actor, he is a clever boy. How can those fools believe that he is insane, just because he is different from everyone else! That is utterly ridiculous!”

“Yeah, but Loks, he seems to get himself into trouble a lot there, not that he’s insane. Like you said, he’s just different and misunderstood. Most humans are stupid anyway, not like me, a genius,” Tony mused, as he caressed Loki’s arm through his jacket and they both laughed when Charlie the brother slash actor escaped from the mental hospital and helped Leopold make it back to his own time. 

“Oh, but he’s left New York without Kate, how can he do that? She must be there with him, they love each other, and they must find a way to be together,” Loki demanded, as tears filled his eyes and he clung to Tony in his despair.

Tony felt so sad to see Loki sobbing, and he immediately cuddled him and soothed him with words of love as he kissed his lips and murmured softly against them. “Hey, babe, this movie has a very happy ending, I promise you. You’ll see, Loki, just keep watching it.” 

Loki keened when Tony kissed his lips and shook his head as he wiped the tears from his eyes with his free hand and watched the end of the movie, where Charlie sent his sister back to Leopold’s time and he asked her to marry him instead of the other woman. “Oh, Tony, what a lovely ending to a wonderful moving picture. I am so pleased Kate and Leopold were able to be together…just as we did, my love.” 

“Yeah, I know, Loki, my love, and it’s awesome that you are here and I will see you again, many times after this,” Tony said, as he switched off the movie.

(Flash forward)

Tony did not realise he had tears in his eyes as he remembered that part of the night. Loki was so beautiful and so heartwarming, and so filled with love and adoration, and Tony felt the same way for his sexy God. He shook his head though, that’s not what this was about, this was no time for sadness. 

He suddenly stared at the window and remembered the words Loki spoke about his house and the scenery making him feel at home, and that made him smile brightly again. He could still hear the words his sexy God lover spoke, words that made him feel proud: 

{flash back}

Loki smiled as he moved a little bit in Tony’s arms so he could stare out the large bay windows that showed the gorgeous sight he had noticed earlier from the living quarters. He was starting to feel sleepy now, and feared he would fall asleep before he got the change to tell Tony what he had thought earlier, and so he fought to keep his eyes open as he spoke in a soft, low sleepy baritone voice. “Tony, I wanted to tell you something, this view from your home, your lovely home by the sea. When I look out of those windows there and I see that wondrous panoramic vice, it reminds me of being home on Asgard. I see that beautiful view right there…and I like it, because this place also feels like my home now too….I love you, Tony Stark…” 

“Mm, that’s lovely, Loki, oh wow, that really makes me happy and pleases me know that this place makes you feel as if you’re at home on Asgard. I want you to feel that it is, every time you visit here, I want you to feel at home and know that you are welcome here. I love you too…Loki Odinson…” Tony whispered, as he cuddled Loki’s body closer to the God, his sweet lover and felt him fall asleep in his arms…and then he followed right behind him. 

(flash forward)

Gods! That was perhaps the best evening they spent together, a lovely romantic evening of just sharing kisses and cuddles and watching a nice romantic comedy together. Yeah, Tony classified that as a perfect evening in his books. Not only did he enjoy Loki’s company, but his sexy God lover had brought him out of his alcoholic stupor, and from that day forward, he would stop drinking and feeling sorry for himself. 

He had promised Loki that he would get back to being the old Tony Stark, and get his ass in gear and get things done with his business, and that was just what he was going to do. He would call up his assistant, Pepper Potts and ask her what was going on with Stark Tower, and then he would contact Banner, and ask if he could meet him in there in Malibu for coffee. 

Yep, that’s what he would do…right now….in fact. Well…right after he put some clothes on. Oh, clothes, he remembered how sexy and hot Loki looked in that black suit he had worn last night, the same suit he had worn in Stuttgart not all that long ago. Was it by Dolce & Gabanna? Yeah, he had thought it was, and it was nicely tailored to fit Loki’s body perfectly. 

Tony laughed at the happy memories the prior evening had brought him, and he stood up from the bed, walked to his wardrobe and got dressed in a nice clean shirt….wait a minute…he did not remember owning an emerald silk shirt. Oh, Loki Odinson, you sexy God of Mischief. You adorable trickster. He smiled as he slid the garment off the hanger and put it on his body. Gods! This shirt was not made on Earth. Oh no. This shirt was made of Asgardian spun silk, and when he stared down at it, he noticed it gleaming with bits of gold, silver and onyx. Wow! He thought to himself. Thanks, Loks, for gifting me this gorgeous article of clothing. You’re a star, babe. He slid on a pair of his black denims, then his boots and made his way out into the living room. 

He had to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight that filtered through the windows, as he moved toward them, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed how clean the place was. Oh, Loki, you didn’t, how adorable you are, he thought again, and smiled fondly. That was what he heard when he thought it was a burglar breaking into his house, it was just the God using his magic to tidy up. Well, shit! That’s just awesome, you sexy God you. 

Tony stared out the window and all of a sudden he saw Loki doing the same thing, but in the scene, it was night time, last night, and he immediately laughed again as another vision over took him. 

{flash back}

Loki landed inside Tony’s large mansion by the sea, in the living quarters to be exact. He could see that it was nighttime, and the moon was shining brightly through the large bay windows, reflecting so wondrously over the water below. He moved to those large windows for a moment and stared down over the high stone cliffs, whistling softly at the majestic view. Hew swore it reminded him of the Palace of Asgard, and her wondrous views of the panorama and beyond. He was pleased that Tony, his love, had chosen to live in this remote and breathtaking place. He would be sure to tell Tony as much.

When he turned from the windows, he saw how much of a mess the place was; there were empty bottles of alcohol and food containers strewn all over the tables and the carpeting, and dishes in the sink in the kitchen area. He shook his head and thought he would not have his Tony be made to clean this up himself, so he waved his hands in the air and used his magic to clean up the place. He smiled at his handiwork and then made his way toward the bedroom at the back of the very large house. Loki gently magicked the door handle to open and slid stealthily inside the room. He closed and locked the door behind him and he smiled brightly when he saw his precious Tony passed out on top of the bed in his clothes. He walked softly across the carpeting and sad down on the edge of the bed and reached out to caress Tony’s soft brown hair. 

(Flash forward)

So, that’s what happened when Loki first got here. Seeing it for himself, it made Tony smile all over again, and then he stared up toward the ceiling again and spoke the words he knew he needed to do. “Jarvis, reassemble.”

“Hello, Sir. I trust you enjoyed your shower and your…reminiscing over Mr. Loki’s visit last night,” Jarvis quipped in his usual snarky manner.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I did, Jarvis, baby. It was a lovely way to spend the morning, but now I need a favor of you. First off, please put in a call to Pepper and ask her for an email status report on the completion of Stark Tower. Second of all, put in a call to Dr. Banner, and tell him Tony said to get his ass out here to Malibu and meet me for coffee in the local coffee shop down the road a bit. You know the one, it’s a remote Mom and Pop place where only the locals know about.” 

“Are you certain you wish to see Dr. Banner, Sir? After the parting you had with him?” Jarvis warned. 

“Yes, Jarvis, you silly AI! Just do as I told you. Now. I will have him picked up on the private jet and flown out here, just get to it, old boy,” Tony retorted, and sighed at the snarkiness of the AI, and wondered where it had come from. He shook off the thought and got himself ready to meet the good Doctor for coffee and some idle chit chat about that bastard, Nick Fury and Shield. 

So it was that a few nights later, Tony had ended up in that coffee shop in the town, and he had sat down with his friend, Dr. Banner. He was relieved when the man had not been angry with Tony after the parting they had last time they saw each other. They just sat and chatted and drank coffee, and Tony nonchalantly asked Banner if he had heard any shout outs about Nick Fury and Shield. He suddenly wished he hadn’t when the man told him that the Director of Shield had just put out a decree for the return of Loki Laufeyson, the War Criminal and Irene Adler, the Accomplice to the War Criminal to Earth. He was calling for their blood and for their return to Earth so they could be punished for their crimes against the Earth on that fateful day the Chitauri attacked the Earth and Loki tried to subjugate the Humans. 

Oh, shit! Tony thought, as he sat there chatting more with Bruce, talking about science things and all the people Banner had helped while he was in India. But truth be told, his mind was not on that, instead his mind was on getting back to his place and contacting Odin again. Or perhaps he would shout to the Heavens for that tiger-eyed God to send the AllFather a message. 

When he finally parted Company with Bruce, with a promise to see him again, and meet up for coffee, he made his way back to his home and parked his corvette in the garage. He raced up to the living room and was shocked to find Heimdall standing there, in all his Godly glory, with those tiger eyes piercing right through him.

“Ah, Shit! You scared the fuck out of me, Heimdall!” Tony shouted, as he fell back against the sofa and then stood up again. 

“Your words confuse me, Son of Stark. I think you know why I am here though, so please tell me the news you have and I shall relay it back to King Odin back on Asgard. Word of warning, he may want you to be there to make the announcement to everyone else, but you will be contacted if that should need to occur,” Heimdall voiced, as he stared down at the Midgardian again.

Tony ran his hands nervously through his brown hair and then shook his head. “Yeah, right, me come to Asgard, that will be amusing. Anyway, the message I have to relay is this. Nick Fury, that one eyed Pirate bastard Director of Shield has a decree out for Loki and Irene Adler. I’m not sure where she is, but I know that Loki is home on Asgard, right? You need to tell Odin this, and if he needs me there, then I shall come. But this is urgent. Banner said that he just put out the decree, so we may have some time before he starts searching for Loki, and I don’t want him coming to Asgard, if he does then I definitely want to be there-”

“Enough, Son of Stark. Silence, please,” Heimdall cut across Tony’s nervous babbling, as he held up his large hand and smiled down at the Midgardian. “I shall relay your message, and as I have said, please be ready to travel to Asgard, where you will be most welcome. Now, I must go, I have left my post and I need to return. I shall see you soon, Son of Stark.”

Before Tony could make his reply, Heimdall disappeared into the same Vortex Loki had a few nights ago. He sighed as he settled back on the sofa and switched on the huge Plasma television. Truth be told though, he was a nervous wreck. “Jarvis, has Ms. Potts gotten back to me?” 

“Yes, Sir, she has said they are still repairing Stark Tower and the business is going well, she is handling it, and if you wish to come back to New York in the near future, she would be pleased to meet with you,” Jarvis informed, in his usual flippant British voice. 

“Huh, she said that, did she? Well, she’s going to have to wait, Jarvis. I have to stay put here, in case Heimdall and or the AllFather comes for me. I will video chat with her tomorrow, and we can go over things then. Can you order me some really good Thai food. I’m really fucking starving now,” Tony voiced, as he removed his boots and sank back against the sofa. 

“Already done, Sir. This is Tuesday, and you always order Thai food on a Tuesday. It is on it’s way,” Jarvis retorted. 

“Cheeky British bastard,” Tony muttered as he glared at the ceiling and shook his head. 

“What was that you said, Sir? I could not understand your words,” Jarvis inquired, in his condescending tone. 

“I said, you fine British AI. Thanks for being so fucking awesome,” Tony said, as he rolled his eyes and then waited for the food to arrive. Once it did, he moved to his the living room, watched the new for anything suspicious and ate his meal.

Tony didn’t realise how sleepy he was and after he had finished his meal, he laid down on the sofa…and was fast asleep in seconds…he dreamed about being on Asgard, making love with Loki, having a threesome with his brother….then he saw Irene…there was a ceremony…two weddings and a punishment for a blond haired warrior all within the strange dream. He slept on as the dream continued to move as fast and furious for the rest of the evening.


	3. Take a Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: After Loki's last visit with Tony, one that lasted for the two days, he left with his brother, Thor to return to Asgard; while Tony sets to work making the repairs on his Iron Man suits. He receives distressing news from his friend, Dr. Bruce Banner, which he must impart to his allies on Asgard posthaste.

When Loki and Thor left his Malibu home mere hours ago, Tony did not got to sleep. He was too wound up and too excited over the prospect of rebuilding the rest of his Iron Man suits with the Asgardian Oil Loki left for him after he helped him with his magic and the oil to repair the first suit. Of course he would miss his beautiful Asgardian lover, the sexy God of Mischief, but he was so happy now that Loki had spent those glorious two days with him. That had been a gift from the blond God of Thunder, Point Break, or Thor, Tony thought and laughed at the nick name he had given to his fellow Avenger. 

 

So it was that Tony now found himself back inside his work shop again, and while he blasted some loud AC/DC music, he set to his task of repairing the joints using the oil on the next Iron Man Suit. He had dummy hold the oil can he had poured the strange gray substance into, while he uses his automatic drill to unscrew the bolts from the arm joints first. He laid the suit on the table and reached out his hand toward dummy for the can of Asgardian oil.

 

“Well, come on, Dummy, don’t keep me waiting here, you daft robot. We have a lot of work to do now, and I mean to get this all done before the day is over,” Tony retorted, as he stared over at the robot with his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face. 

 

The machine whirred and spluttered loudly as it placed the oil can on Tony’s outstretched palm and moved to stand beside him while Tony worked. 

 

“That’s a good little robot, you’re really learning to obey me much quicker since Loki was last here. I think he put the fear into you that I would turn you scrap metal if you didn’t behave for me,” Tony retorted playfully, as he patted Dummy on his robot arm and turned to face the suit again. He tipped the spout of the can over the joints in the elbows the shoulders and the fingers, and spread the oil around the circumference of each area. Then he tested the movement by bending the arm at the elbow and twisting it at the shoulder. He bent the metal fingers into a fist and was pleased when they too moved with the most perfect ease, and he smiled brightly when it was no longer a task to move any of the jointed areas on the entire arm, when it slid around with same ease of use Loki had shown him. 

 

“I tell you, Dummy, these Asgardian Gods know their shit about mechanics, don’t they?” Tony mused, as he moved to the left arm of the suit and repeated the process on the elbow, shoulder and fingers. “Well, Loki is really intelligent, plus he’s fucking amazing in bed. He's more like the God of Sex, and it’s awesome to have him as my lover. I only hope I get to see him again soon. Not only so I can fuck him senseless again, and have him take me in every position he pleases, but so that I can thank him for gifting me this amazing Asgardian Oil to fix up my Iron Man suits….”

 

Tony’s words trailed off when he realised he was talking to a robot arm that would never be able to answer him, and sighed when he suddenly missed having Loki there with him. Tears filled his eyes when he thought of when he would see his sexy God of Mischief again, but he soon wiped them away on the sleeve of his Black Sabbath t-shirt he wore to do his handiwork. He didn’t want to soil the Asgardian leisure outfit Loki had gifted to him on his last visit there, because he had no idea how to clean it, and anyway, he wore that outfit when he was lounging around upstairs. 

 

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Jarvis alerted him he had a call. “Excuse me, Sir, but Miss Potts is on the phone from New York and wishes to speak with you. Do you wish for me to patch her through now?” 

 

“Jarvis, I asked you not to disturb me while I was working on my suits today. Not even for Miss Potts. I don’t have time to go over any business dealings right now, so please ask her to send me another bothersome email, and I will get back to her tomorrow,” Tony retorted. He sighed and rolled his eyes up at his AI as he moved to connect the arms back into the torso of the suit and screwed them into place with his automatic drill with the screwdriver setting to bolt them into place again. 

 

“Please excuse me, Sir, but Miss Potts is adamant that she speaks with you, it concerns the complete of your Stark Tower in New York,” Jarvis shot back in his condescending British sassy voice.

 

“Fucking hell, all right, Jarvis, put her through, but tell her to make it short. I have a lot of work to get through down here and I don’t really need to be chattering away about this,” Tony snarked right back, as he used the screwdriver to remove the bolts on the legs and carried them over to the table. He thrust the automatic tool into Dummy’s claw and picked up the oil can to start work on the thigh joints first. 

 

“Very well, Sir, but there is no need to use expletives with me, I am only relaying the message from Miss Potts-”

 

“Jarvis, shut the fuck up and just put the woman through already!” Tony cut across his snarky AI, as he pointed angrily at the ceiling with the oil can. He growled when the next voice he heard was the simpering one of Miss Potts, his assistant and new CEO of Stark Industries. 

 

“Tony, why have you not returned any of my phone calls or emails I sent you? What have you been doing out there in Malibu that you ignore me?” Pepper groused, as Jarvis patched her through on the audio connection only, which annoyed her even more, “any why have you not let me come through on the video?” 

 

Tony sighed and slammed the oil can down on the work table and rubbed his eyes with his hands, before he shoved Dummy out of the way so he could get to the knee joints. “Because, Miss Potts, I have been busy working on some important things that don’t concern you.”

 

“What do you mean important things that don’t concern me? Everything you do concerns me, Tony. I am not happy that you have been holed up in that big house all by yourself,” Pepper shot back, as she pounded her hand on her desk. She was still at Stark Industries, after a long drawn out meeting with some of their Japanese clients and she was tired, because it was eleven o’clock in New York, where as it was only eight on the West Coast. 

 

“Well, it shouldn’t, because you and I are just business partners, Miss Potts, and that’s all. So, why don’t you just go ahead and tell me why you’ve sent me fifty emails and left me one hundred annoying messages on my phone, all right?” Tony retorted, as he pounded his own hands on the work table and turned on the video screen so he could glare at the annoying woman. 

 

Pepper gasped when she saw Tony’s brown eyes glaring at her and she glared right back through her own computer video screen, the one Tony had installed for her so she could be wireless when they spoke. “Tony, why are you speaking so nasty to me? What has gotten into you?” 

 

“Nothing has gotten into me, Miss Potts. I. Am. Just. Fucking. Busy. Now, just tell me what you want and get the hell out of my hair. Isn’t it enough for you that I gave you total control over Stark Industries? Must you also be a nag to me in my personal life as well?” Tony shouted now, as he glared even harder at the insolent woman. 

 

Pepper breathed in and out to control her rage and shook her head curtly as she steepled her fingers together and shook her head. “Fine, Mr. Stark, all I wanted to tell you was that Stark Tower is fully functional now, it’s rebuilding having been done for over a month. Stark Industries is thriving and we have many new clients, mainly in China and Japan and Germany.” 

 

Tony leaned on the edge of the work table with his hands gripping it hard, his knuckles all white as he breathed in and out and listened to her droning on and on. When she finished he shook his head and sighed loudly. “Is that it now? Are we done? I’m happy to hear all that shit, but you told me all that in the emails and phone messages you left for me. You’re doing a great job of things over there in New York, Miss Potts. Is that what you wanted to hear and have? Some accolades and a pat on the back. Well, you got it. Are you happy now? Can you please just leave me alone so I can get back to work?” 

 

“No, Tony, that is not all I wanted to say to you,” Pepper said, as a softness filled her voice now, and she stared at Tony with a concerned look on her face. “the last time you were here, you were having a nervous breakdown over that maniac Loki, who leveled New York and killed all those innocent people? Than you just disappeared and fell off the face of the Earth. I just wanted to know that you were all right-”

 

“Stop!” Tony cut across her words, as he held up his hands and glared at her for her words, when she spoke in her disparaging way against Loki. That was the last thing he needed from her, and he wasn’t going to stand for it. “Just, stop, Miss Potts. I don’t need your concern or your pity. I am fine, as you can plainly see. I’m not dead, nor did I disappear off the face of the Earth. I. Am. Just. Busy. So, please, you’ve seen me, you’ve spoken to me. Now, will you please just let me get back to work, all right?” 

 

Pepper sighed and shook her head as she fought back the tears from Tony’s biting tone of voice, as she swallowed hard and stared into the video monitor again. “Fine, Tony, I will not bother you any longer. I’m just glad that I did get to speak with you. Just, please be safe out there and let me know if you are ever coming back to New York.” 

“I don’t know if I ever will, Miss Potts, I have no need to. You’re doing a fine job of handling things out there, and I thank you, but I really need to go now. Good evening to you,” Tony said, as he smiled a small smile to her, and immediately cut the connection of the call by throwing his hands out over the holographic video monitors in front of him, and all around him. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes again and leaned his elbows on the work table. Boy, he had dodged a bullet with that phone call. The last thing he needed was for fucking Pepper Potts to find out he was banging the same sexy God of Mischief who had leveled New York, and with his Brother Thor’s permission as well. Nor could she find out he was Daddy Odin’s ally for his younger son, Loki. She would flip her lid, fly out there with Rhodes and Nick fucking dickhead Fury and try to drag his ass back to New York. 

 

He shook these thoughts from his head as he went back to his task of re-working the joints on the rest of his Iron Man Suits. He switched the AC/DC Music back on again, much louder this time and as he moved around the room and sang to the songs that boomed over the loud speakers, he continued his task. By the time he was nearly finished with his work, with the help of Dummy as the Robot seemed to stay closer to him ever since Loki had been there and had left, he was feeling really good about this work. Tony found the fact that robot wouldn’t leave his side for even a second to be really amusing, and he just kept on teasing and berating the thing in his playful manner. Truth be told thought, Dummy was the closest thing he had to not being alone at the moment. Well, that and his snarky AI, Jarvis was there to speak with him when he needed to hear an actual voice speaking to him, and not just the whirring and beeping noises of Dummy. 

 

Tony had just finished up oiling the last joints on the ankles of one of his silver Iron Man suits when Jarvis’ voice once again interrupted him, switching off the loud, blaring Black Sabbath music. 

 

“Sir, I am sorry to interrupt you again, and please do not swear at me, but I have a more urgent call from Dr. Bruce Banner. I’m afraid he has some distressing news about Nick Fury and Shield,” Jarvis intoned, in his most serious voice he always seemed to use when something was really important.

 

“Shit!” Tony swore, as he quickly attached the left leg back into the socket on the suit using the automatic screwdriver. He moved toward his work table and placed the empty can of Asgardian oil on the surface, before he wiped his hand on the towel Dummy then handed to him. He patted the robot on it’s claw before he nodded up at his AI. “Well, put him through, Jarvis! This is much more important than the last call you put through. I would have thought you would know the difference between an urgent call and one that was only meant to aggravate me.”

 

“Yes, Sir, Dr. Banner is now on the line,” Jarvis snarked, as he put the call through to him. 

 

Tony sighed as he immediately opened up the video link and smiled at the concerned face of his friend. “Bruce, baby, how’s it hanging, man?” 

 

“Ah, a little to the left, if you must know, Tony,” Bruce answered in the code he had adopted with his friend since they last communicated in a highly blocked email whenever it concerned Shield. They used the code to let each other know that they were not being phone tapped or video hacked and could relax as they spoke. He smiled warmly at Tony and waved to him over the video monitor that connected him from his Stark Industries mobile. He was stationed in New York, in a private, secured condo that Tony had purchased for him so he could keep an eye on Shield and their lot for him. 

 

“Good to know, my dear friend. So, tell me, what’s this urgent news you have about Nick fucking Fury and Shield?” Tony inquired, as he smiled back at his friend and sat down at his desk in the middle of the workshop. 

 

“Well, it’s not good news, I can assure you of that, Tony. Fury has now put out the decree for the return of Loki to Earth, so he can be executed for his crimes against the Planet. The Decree also includes Miss Irene Adler, who as you know was his accomplice. My sources tell me they still have no idea where she has gotten off to, as she doesn’t appear to be on British soil, nor anywhere for that matter. She just….disappeared,” Bruce explained, as he sat back on the comfortable cushions of his white plush sofa. 

 

“Oh, Bruce, I don’t really care about her. If she’s gone, then that’s not my problem. I’m not going to worry about her right now, it’s Loki I’m concerned with, as you know why too. Did you speak with Fury, or did one of your spies tell you all of this,” Tony deadpanned, as he motioned for Dummy to bring him some coffee from the fresh pot the robot was brewing just then. 

 

“Oh, hell no, Tony, I didn’t speak with him, one of my spies at Shield called me to tell me the news. It would appear that Fury’s on a rampage and means to go to Asgard to bring Loki back for his crimes, and he may even include Thor, our fellow Avenger in for questioning of his keeping Loki away from Earth,” Bruce went on, as he frowned at Tony and shook his head in exasperation. 

 

“What?!” Tony shouted, as he nearly choked on the coffee he had just then swallowed, and placed the mug on the desk. “Why would he do that? Oh, fuck, he’s really lost his mind now, Brucie. Thor had nothing to do with bringing Loki home, and was not even involved with it. Listen, we shouldn’t stay on the line too much longer, in case that bastard finds a way to tap into this video chat. Miss Potts phoned me earlier, and I have a feeling Fury put her up to that. Thanks for letting me know this information. I’ll handle it from here, make sure you keep yourself safe, all right?” 

“I know, Tony, I couldn’t believe it when my guy told me that, and I thought how stupid and ludicrous it was….” Bruce’s words cut short when he heard Tony’s next words and his eyes widened in shock. “Oh, really? Pepper phoned you, huh? I hate to tell you this, Tony, but my spy told me she has been trying to track me down for a while now, but has been unsuccessful. So you may be right about that. You just be careful and make sure you get the information to the powers that be…up there. I’ll be all right, and thanks for your concern, man. I can always make my way back into the deep recesses of Calcutta now, if things get too hot for me. It’s nice talking to you, Tony, I hope the weather is nice by you out there.” 

 

Tony swore and immediately cut the line when Bruce spoke his last words of warning, the ones they came up with to let the other one know when they felt as if they were being tapped. Tony knew that Jarvis had all the security protocols in place, in his home and in Bruce’s condo, so there was no chance in hell they could get through, they just were being careful when there might have been a small interruption in the line that could have been Shield trying to track the call. He quickly closed up things in the workshop and rode in the elevator to the top floor, carrying his mug of coffee with him, as he moved to the bar and placed the recall bracelets for his suit around his wrists. 

Tony knew he had to get in touch with the tiger eyed God, Heimdall, and he would need to do it outside so he could land on his balcony first. So he placed the empty mug on the coffee table and walked out into the evening air on the balcony, as he opened the double French doors and closed them behind him. He breathed in the cool night air and sighed when a slight cool breeze moved through his brown hair. He stared up into the section of the sky where Loki had told him Asgard was located, as he just spoke out to Heimdall, and hoped that he would come down there as soon as fucking possible. 

 

“Heimdall, it’s Tony Stark, I need you here now. Nick Fury is causing trouble for Loki,” Tony said, and then he blinked when there was a bright flash of white light and the tall, muscular tiger-eyed God was standing on his balcony in all his Asgardian glory. 

 

“How may I assist you, Son of Stark,” Heimdall voiced, as he smiled smugly at the male Midgardian he knew to be King Odin’s ally. 

 

“Well, first off, you can stop fucking scaring the shit out of me by appearing out of nowhere like that, Mr. big muscular tiger-eyed God, Gate Keeper. Second of all, Nick Fury has put out a decree for the return of Loki to Earth so he can be executed for his crimes against Earth. Third off, the decree also includes the human woman who was Loki’s assistant, Ms. Irene Adler. Quite frankly I don’t care about her, because she’s obviously disappeared off into some remote place where no one, not even that one eyed pirate, Nick Fury will ever find her. My main concern is Loki, and I need to get to Asgard now, so I can warn Odin of all this shit,” Tony retorted, as he rambled on and paced on the balcony like a caged animal, while the God stood there smirking at him in his condescending manner. 

 

“Very well, Son of Stark. I suggest you put on one of your Iron Man suits you used the Asgardian Oil which you acquired from Prince Loki to repair, and we shall make our way back to my Realm. If you must know, the Midgardian woman is on Asgard as well, but my King will explain all of that to you when we return there,” Heimdall voiced, as he leaned against the railing with his mighty sword pitched inside the concrete of his balcony. 

 

Tony raised his eyebrows at the God, but didn’t question him, as he activated the buttons on the bracelets around his wrist and spoke to his AI. “Jarvis, anytime you want to activate would be fine with me. Oh, and I know I don’t need to tell you to lock up my house under Security Protocol 15, total lock down with no traces of me ever being here.” 

 

“Yes, of course, Sir, your red Suit of Iron Man armor is on it’s way from the workshop now and it should be with you right about now. The house is already under the Security Protocol 15, and it was as soon as the God, Heimdall appeared on the balcony,” Jarvis voiced, as he started the lock down and closed up all the windows doors and other exits and entrances with the practiced ease he always had. 

 

“Thanks so much, my snarky little British AI. You know I love you, baby,” Tony voiced, and smiled when his red suit appeared over the balcony and locked onto his body. He smiled over at Heimdall when he stared at him with an amused smile and bowed his head to him. “Right, Heimdall, babe, let’s get our asses to Asgard now. There’s no time like the present and certainly no time to waste, my friend.” 

 

“As you wish, Son of Stark, but close up your faceplate now. We are about to enter the Vortex and move to the Bifrost. If you would kindly place your metal hand over my forearm,” Heimdall instructed and in another swift movement he smiled when Tony’s faceplate on his iron suit went down and he used his sword to transfer them from Midgard into the Vortex.

 

When they landed on Asgard in what seemed a matter of seconds, Tony gasped as they were met by Odin and he bowed in greeting to the King of Asgard, and placed his hand over his heart in the natural salute. “Hello, Odin AllFather, my good man, or my King. I have distressing news concerning your son, Loki, it would appear that the Lady Irene is also in dire trouble as well. Heimdall told me she was here on Asgard too, and that you would explain it all to me. Well, Odin, start ‘splainin, as Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy used to say.”

 

“Yes, Anthony Stark, as you have requested that I address you as. I know the sooth of the Decree from the Son of Fury and Shield. Please, let us retire to the Throne Room, and I will call my son Loki and my daughter Irene, along with Thor and everyone else in attendance of this important meeting. Then you will speak the news to everyone who will be present. But naught to fear, Anthony, the Son of Fury will naught be taking my son or daughter back to Midgard, and you will soon see why,” Odin voiced, as he waved his hands in the air and magically transported them inside the Throne Room. He sent out several of his most trusted Palace Guards to give the messages to his sons Thor, Loki, the Queen, his daughter Irene, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif to meet him inside the Throne Room, for there was a welcomed guest who wished to see them all. 

 

Tony stood with anticipation at the bottom of the Throne, just beneath Odin, and waited for Loki to enter the room. Truth be told, he was both nervous and shocked to be on Asgard, but it wasn’t unwelcome, as the Palace was really breathtaking and all gold and shiny. It was just as Loki told him it was when he spoke to him about it. His heart was racing like mad, and he felt like passing out inside his Iron Man Suit, and in the next instant, he watched as Odin magicked away his metal suit to his new chambers he had said. Then Tony suddenly found he was dressed in an emerald Asgardian silk shirt with black onyx, black and gold embellished denims and a pair of emerald leather boots. He was well pleased with the King’s handiwork as he gave him the thumbs up and then he waited for all to assemble in the Throne Room.


	4. Goodbye Apathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now mortal, Fandral adjusts to life at Stark Industries, life on Midgard and repenting his lecherous way. Tony has fun, at Fandral's expense.

When Tony and the four Asgardian Guards landed at his home in Malibu on Earth again with Fandral, he was questioned by Jarvis as to the extra guests. “Welcome home again, Sir. May I ask what is going on? Why are there Asgardian Palace Guards here? Who is this man in chains?” 

 

“Hello, Jarvis, baby. I missed you too,” Tony voiced, as he allowed Jarvis to help him remove his Iron Man Armor. He sighed at hearing all the questions from his AI, but answered them as quickly as he could. “Sorry about that, Jarvis. The Asgardian Palace guards are here to help me watch over the man in chains. He is called Fandral, and he was once an Asgardian, but he committed some crimes against Loki and his sister, Princess Irene. So, I told Odin I would set him up here as my PA, to watch over him - for six months. He needs a new identity, because he is now human, King Odin took away his Asgardian status for his crimes. Do me a favor and make sure the house is well protected from escape now.” 

 

“I see Sir, so you volunteered your services to the King of Asgard without informing me?” Jarvis asked, in his usual snarky British voice. 

“Ah, I didn’t realise I needed to check with you first, Jarvis, and anyway, you do not make these sort of decisions,” Tony retorted, as he motioned for the Guards to sit down with Fandral on the sofa. “Now, please do as I asked and put up the extra security around the mansion, you cheeky thing you.” 

“Very well, Sir, I shall reset all the perimeters and exits into lockdown, and if the prisoner tries to escape, then he will be shocked to unconsciousness,” Jarvis intoned in a flat voice.

“Oh, Jarvis, you are such a tyrant, there is no need for the shocking effects, I don’t think Fandral is going to want to escape. He knows he has to serve out his punishment, don’t you, Fanny,” Tony said, as he suddenly turned his gaze to the blond-haired ex-warrior and grinned wickedly. 

 

“You will shut your mouth, human! I am of Asgard and will not have you speaking to me in this manner - Oof!” Fandral’s words were suddenly cut short when one of Odin’s guards hit him hard in his lower back with the hilt of his spear, and knocked him to his knees on the white plush carpeting. 

 

“You will be silent, Prisoner Fandral! You are not of Asgardian blood while you are down here on Midgard for your punishment,” the guard Rejar retorted, as he glared down at Fandral with an angry scowl on his face. “You will obey the human, Anthony Stark with all he tells you to do. If you do not, then you will suffer at the hands of myself and my fellow Guards. Now, sit down there on that chair and behave.” 

 

“Yes, of course I will, Rejar," Fandral said, with a huge smile on his face, as he bowed low and waved his hand at the burly guard. He winked at him and stood up straight when the Asgardian just stared hard at him. "I would not wish to anger you, for fear of you cutting off my head with the golden forged sword you hold on the belt of your tunic."

 

"You had best hold your tongue, Prisoner Fandral, or I shall do more than behead you," Rejar shot back, as he moved toward the blond-haired man and placed his hand on his shoulder, and then shoved him down hard on the chair he had indicated earlier. "Now, sit there and be silent, or I will request Heimdall to send me the metal gag."

 

Fandral grunted when Rejar moved toward him and pushed him down hard on the chair, keeping his hand on his shoulder in a controlling manner. He did not speak again, especially when the guard threatened to call up the Asgardian Metal Gag from Heimdall, instead he just shook his head and folded his shackled hands in his lap. 

 

Tony watched the interaction between the Asgardian guard, Rejar, and Fandral with an amused expression. He clapped his hands together and snapped his fingers, as he moved toward the table in the middle of the room, and leaned his hands over the edge. "Right, Jarvis, can you please call up the data base so that I can work on our prisoner Fandral's new identity?" 

 

"Yes, of course I can, Sir," Jarvis said, dryly, and brought up the small grid for the computer data base for Tony. 

 

"Thanks, Jar baby, you're the best," Tony quipped, as he called up the data base for Stark Industries and started to create the new human identity for the blond-haired Asgardian. "Right now, here we go, Fandral, first of all, your new human name is going to be Frank Blond. You were born here in Malibu on February 13, 1982, so that makes you 30 in human years. I'll make up a really good resume for you, impressive, in fact, because well, you'll be working for me as my PA, and I'm not going to hire some regular idiot off the street."

 

Tony stared over at Fandral when the blond Asgardian raised his eyebrows at hearing his words, but he kept typing all the information for his new identity, his fingers moving over the keys of the virtual board in front of him. "So, you'll have graduated from Beverly Hills High, gone onto UCLA, got your Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Business and Computer Science. Then your Master's Degree in the Arts and of Business Administration. There you are, Frank, you're all set. Jarvis will have your new Identification for Stark Industries, birth papers and Passport ready in minutes. Welcome to Midgard, or Earth. Once I have you all set up there, I'll have to see about getting you a new wardrobe. I can't have you walking around here in that Asgardian get up, especially if you're coming with me to the office here in Malibu." 

 

Fandral stared at Tony with a perplexed expression on his face as he watched him typing in all the false information, but was equally impressed by the authenticity of everything he made up. He noticed he tapped into some other files for some other Earth Agencies he did not recognize, nor did he care to. He was just not too pleased with the name the human had given to him, and didn't care of Rejar punished him, he voiced that opinion. "Anthony Stark, I do not like the name you have given me. I am an Asgardian citizen, and I am not accustomed to being called Frank, and the surname is also to be desired - Blond? Can you not have come up with something more Regal?"

 

"Nope, sorry, Fanny, I'm sticking with Frank Blond. I think it's really quite unique, and besides that I could have used Francis to really torture you," Tony teased, as he winked at the blond-haired ex-warrior and Asgardian. At that moment, they heard a loud chiming sound and Tony rolled his eyes when he realised there was a phone call coming in, so when Jarvis made the announcement he closed up the database and moved to the second table at the back of the room to retrieve Fandral's credentials. 

 

"Please excuse the interruption, Sir, but Miss Potts is on the telephone now. She and Mr. Hogan are nearly arrived at the mansion here. She wishes to speak to you now," Jarvis intoned, in his flat British voice. 

 

"Marvelous, Jarvis, that's all we need now, Pepper and Happy here to load me up with all these questions about why the Asgardian Prisoner and Guards are here," Tony complained, as he picked up the blond's papers and moved to where he was sitting. He was about to hand them to him, but then thought about it, and decided to hold onto them for a while until he had him all settled in. 

 

"I have taken the liberty of informing them of your guests, Sir. So you will not have any problems or trouble when they arrive. Do you wish for me to connect them through the video monitor now? Jarvis asked, in a much brighter tone of voice. 

 

"I suppose so, Jarvis," Tony sighed as he rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, and clapped his hands together. He sat down on his own white sofa and placed the papers inside his inner jacket pocket. 

 

In the next instant, Jarvis had called up the interactive video monitor and Tony smiled mockingly sweet at Pepper and Happy. "Hello, kiddies. To what do I owe the pleasure of your unplanned visit here in Sunny California? You here to spy on me for Nick Fury and Shield?"

 

"No, Tony, Happy and I are not here to spy on you for Shield. Why would we do that, we are your friends," Pepper complained, as she frowned at Tony's words and his flippant attitude. 

 

"Sure, Pep, whatever you say. So, why are you here?" Tony asked, as he folded his hands in his lap and stared in her eyes. 

 

"We are not here for any reason, Tony. If you must know Jarvis sent an email to let us know of your being the keeper for the Asgardian Prisoner, and we thought you would need some help getting him settled," Pepper explained, and sighed in exasperation at Tony's accusations and suspicions.

 

"I see, so now you not only have Happy, and possibly Rhodey, but you also have Jarvis on your side, do you, Pepper Potts?" Tony accused, as he stood up from his chair and moved to the bar, pouring out a line of shots of whiskey for himself and his guests. 

 

"Tony," Happy suddenly interjected, as he moved his face into the line of the video monitor from the front seat where he was driving, with Pepper sitting beside him. They were in one of Tony's Jaguar's, which he always left parked at LAX. "Pepper and I are not here to spy on you for Shield or Director Fury, nor are we here to cause you trouble. We are truly here to help you with taking care of your - well - I'll just say your charge. So, please stop badgering us about this, all right?" 

 

"Hmm, I guess you told me right off, didn't you, Happy Hogan. I suppose I shall have to believe you for now, shouldn't I? Right, I'm going to cut the video chat short, because you will be here shortly from what I can see. Ta for now," Tony retorted, as he waved his hands over the virtual call button and ended the video chat. 

 

He sighed and shook his head as he filled the shots with the whiskey and then placed them on a small silver tray. He carried them to each of the Asgardian guards, then Fandral and then himself. "Drink down this fine 45 year old human alcohol boys. We are about to be visited by two very high strung individuals who usually mistreat me and put me in my place - as you have no doubt seen. Right, you just sink it down and if you want, I can refill it. Fandral, you should like this whiskey, it's the finest I have, and only brought it out because you are all from Asgard. Even though your under my care, it doesn't mean I can't be a gracious host."

 

"I thank you, Anthony Stark, I do appreciate the sentiment. If you keep imbibing me with this fine human alcohol, then you and I will get along famously," Fandral remarked, as he smiled warmly at Tony and then sank back the shot of fine whiskey. He held out his shot glass again between his still shackled hands and raised his eyebrows in question, hoping he did not just step over the line of how he was supposed to behave. 

 

Tony narrowed his eyes at the blond haired man, and then smiled in amusement at his moxie. He reached forward and clapped him on his shoulder, took up his glass, bowed when the guards also placed their own empty glasses on the tray. "Very well, lads, I'll just top us up again. Oh, and Rejar, would it be possible for you to remove the shackles from our Fandral's wrists now? I don't want to frighten my so-called friends who will be here in a matter of moments."

 

Rejar stared at Tony for a moment and then down at Fandral - who was looking up at him with a hopeful smile - and he sighed in exasperation but did as the inventor asked. "Very well, Anthony, you will have your request. He had better not try anything, or he will find either my sword or short knife in his guts."

 

"Oh - yeah - that's not a pretty vision Rejar - let's not mention that again, all right?" Tony complained, as he stared at the Asgardian with a disgusted look. He rolled his eyes as he watched the burly guard move toward Fandral and then he unlocked his strong metal shackles. He still wore the gold metal gauntlets - which looked like bracelets - around each wrist so that would keep him under control. He moved back toward the bar and refilled the shot glasses with more whiskey, and then carried them around the room to the guards, one to Fandral, and then one to himself. 

 

"Well then, I suppose I shall have to behave, will I not, my dear Rejar? I really do not wish to have a sword or a knife in my guts," Fandral voiced, as he stared up at the burly guard from his position on the settee. His eyes widened when Rejar moved toward him and held up the large brass key for the shackles.

 

"You will do well to watch your tongue, Fandral, or I will cut it out instead of stabbing you," Rejar threatened as he grabbed the blond's wrists in his left hand and then used his right hand to unlock the shackles. He grinned menacingly at him and hung the shackles on the belt of his tunic. "There we are now, you are released from your bindings, but if you try to escape or give any trouble, then the gauntlet's on your wrists will shock you back into submission." 

 

"Yes, I understand and know the particulars of my punishment, Rejar. You do not need to remind me. I will not be misbehaving or causing anymore trouble than the trouble I caused which has me here now," Fandral retorted, as he rubbed his wrists where the shackles had dug into his skin just above the edge of the gauntlets he wore to keep him submissive.

 

"That is as it should be, Fandral, and you will do well not to forget that," Rejar commented, as he moved to stand beside his fellow guards. "There you are, Anthony, the prisoner has been released, but be sure that we will be watching over him for the remainder of his stay here with you as his Guardian." 

 

"Thanks, Rejar, I appreciate it, but I don't really think Fandral will be misbehaving any time soon," Tony remarked, and then perked up when he heard the garage door around the back of the house being activated. 

 

"Sir, Miss Potts and Mr. Hogan have arrived. They have used the main garage and should be inside the premises in the next few minutes," Jarvis informed.

 

"Yes, I know, Jarvis, I heard the garage door being opened," Tony retorted, as he sank back his drink and stood up from the armchair he sat down on. "Right, boys, brace yourselves, we're about to be graced by the presence of Miss Pepper Potts."

 

At that moment, Pepper and Happy moved through the sliding glass doors at the back of the house and Tony moved to greet them with a passive expression. "Hello, Miss Potts, Happy, it's really nice to see you again-"

 

"Oh, stop being so patronizing, Tony. I know you are not pleased to see me at all," Pepper shot back, as she moved further inside the house to gaze upon his otherworldly house guests.

 

"Oh, how you do know me so well, Miss Potts," Tony retorted, as he smiled softly at the woman and then turned to face Happy, who now stood beside him with a smile on his face. He immediately hugged his old friend and was surprised when he embraced him in return. 

 

When Fandral gazed upon the gorgeous human woman, Pepper Potts, his eyes widened and he stood up from the sofa in respect of the lady who stood before him. 

 

"So, Tony, tell me, who are your house guests?" Pepper asked, as she stared at Tony with a serious expression on her face. She folded her arms over her chest and stared at them all with a closed expression. 

 

"Well..." Tony began to say, before he rolled his eyes and waved his hands at her before he turned and faced his guests again. "These very tall and burly Asgardian Guards are Rejar, Alfar, Barthol, Didrik, Melchior, Oddar, Tormond, Valdor, Ignor and Johar. Then we have our resident prisoner slash Asgardian Warrior, Fandral. He is now a human, thanks to Odin AllFather. But I've given him a whole new human identity and his name is Frank Blond. You will find his dossier on the Stark Industries site." 

 

Pepper and Happy stared from Tony to the Asgardians and then back again, but it was Happy who moved forward to greet all of them. "May I be the first to welcome you all to Earth, it's an honor to have you here." 

 

The guards started at him, and Fandral smirked mischievously at the tall, bulky man, accessing him, and he chuckled in amusement. "I thank you kindly, Sir, but I cannot say that I am here under the best of circumstances. I will try to enjoy myself and behave as much as possible, for fear of facing Rejar's wrath and or having my head lopped off by his great sword." 

 

"Silence, Fandral, you will not speak in this insolent manner, or I will most assuredly bring out the metal gag for you," Rejar threatened, as he glared at the blond man with his dark blue eyes. He sank down his whiskey, before he moved to the bar and refilled his own glass, eyeing Tony when he merely raised his eyebrows at him. He brought the bottle over to his fellow guards, filled their glasses and then topped up Tony's, and chuckled when the inventor clapped him on his shoulder. 

 

"What Fandral is trying to say, Mr.Hogan is that he is humbled to be here on Earth to serve his time for the crimes he committed against Prince Loki and Princess Irene on Asgard," Rejar explained, as he moved to stand beside the human and stared down at him with a serious expression. "We shall be assisting Anthony in Fandral's repentance for what King Odin has deemed six Midgardian months." 

 

"Oh, wow, that's pretty serious stuff, Rejar. I dread to think what he did that would make your King punish him in this manner," Happy voiced, as he stared up at the Asgardian God with a shocked expression, and then turned to see Pepper roll her eyes at him. 

 

Tony laughed in amusement as he listened to Happy conversing with Rejar and sipped his own drink, then sat down beside Fandral on the sofa. "Hmm, seems you're the talk of the town, blondie. How does it feel to be just as popular down here on Earth as you seemed to be on Asgard?" 

 

"Oh, very amusing, Anthony Stark. I can assure you that I am not well pleased with this sort of attention," Fandral groused, as he took a sip from his drink and stared over at his guards, particularly Rejar - who kept a close watch on him. "Anyway, can we just get on with things already, and you can tell me what I need to do - as your - Personal Assistant." 

 

"Sure, Frank, we can get down to it, right now," Tony shot back, as he smiled at the blond Asgardian and clapped his hands together. He turned to face Pepper and Happy, and motioned for them to join him on the sofa where he had sat down. "So, Pep, Happy, we need to get Frank here a whole new wardrobe. He can't walk around Earth wearing his Asgardian garb, that would get him put away for being crazy. Would either one of you like to take him shopping - oh and I'm afraid you will have to bring one of the guards with you when you do- he can't really be out of their sight at any time." 

 

"I think you should be the one to take him shopping, Tony, after all, he is your prisoner," Pepper retorted, as she crossed her long legs beneath her short skirt and folded her arms over her knees in a prim manner. 

 

"Oh, you're not going to make me do this, are you? What are you and Happy here for if not to help me with this, hmm?" Tony complained, as he rubbed his face with his hands and stared pointedly at them. 

 

"All right, Tony, I will take Fandral - erm - Frank shopping, but will you come with me, and bring one of those burly guards with us? I think one of my suits will fit that Rejar guard," Happy intoned, as he smiled warmly at Tony and moved to stand beside him, clapping his friend on his shoulder as he squeezed it affectionately. 

 

Tony sighed as he shook his head in resignation when Happy asked him to come along, but then he eyed Rejar when the Asgardian guard heard his name and stared over at the two of them. "What say you, Rej, you want to get into a suit and come along to guard our resident prisoner, Fanny, here?" 

 

"Hey, watch what you call me, Anthony Stark. I am not Fanny, the name is Fandral - or Frank - whatever you named me, but do not ever call me Fanny again," Fandral groused again, as he glared at his keeper and then sighed when Rejar glared back at him with a warning stare that meant trouble he continued this line of speaking. "Oh, fine, then, you may be call me whatever you wish, I do not care now. Will we be going on this - shopping for clothes outing now?" 

 

"Yeah, we will, Fanny, but you really cannot go out looking like that. So, I need to have Happy loan you one of his suits for now, because he's the same height and muscular built as you. In fact, I think maybe he's secretly an Asgardian, because he's so freaking tall," Tony quipped, as he grinned at all of them, taking a sip of his drink and slapping his hand on his knee. 

 

Happy smiled at Tony and shook his head at his words, not really understanding their meaning, but he thought that perhaps he was speaking about the Asgardians there in front of him. "Yes, well, Tony, I think we should get going now, because we have a very busy day ahead of us. Fandral, or Frank, there is an extra suit of mine in the guest room here in Tony's home. So, if one of your - guards - could bring you there, you can get dressed and we will be on our way."

 

"Hmm, I am sorry, my dear fellow, but I do not take orders from you," Fandral said, matter-of-fact tone of voice, but he still had a huge smile on his face, and then he turned to Tony. "That man over there - your boss, Anthony Stark - is my keeper while I am here on Midgard - erm Earth. So, I will only take orders - from him." 

 

Tony laughed and clapped his hands together as he listened to Fandral speak his haughty words to Happy, sassing him like the little diva that he was, but he just smiled wickedly at the blond-haired Asgardian - well - human for now. "All right, Fanny, get your erm - fanny into that bedroom and get that suit on. The clock is ticking and we have a lot to cover." 

 

"Very well, Anthony, I shall move myself into said bedroom. I will not be very long," Fandral shot back, but he winked at Happy and moved to stand in front of Pepper. "My dear lady, Miss Potts, it was a pleasure to meet such a beauty as yourself. I do hope we will be seeing more of one another." 

 

"Oh, no, Frank, or Fandral, the pleasure was all mine. I look forward to working with you at Stark Industries. I know that Tony will not have much time to show you how things work, so I will be happy to do do," Pepper voiced, as he smiled warmly at the Asgardian, now turned human, and stuck her tongue out at Tony when he stared at them with his eyebrows raised. 

 

"Oh, how very grown up of you, Miss Potts. I think you should save that tongue action for our Fanny here, as you two seem to be hitting it off quite well, babe," Tony retorted, in his usual sassy tone of voice. Then he snapped his fingers and clapped his hands together, as he motioned away her reply and then waved for Fandral to follow him to the bedroom where he could change into one of Happy's suits. He knew that the Asgardian, now human, would not try anything stupid on their outing, or he would be punished further by his guard, Rejar. 

 

When they entered the spare bedroom where Tony would put Fandral, he moved toward the wardrobe at the back and opened the doors, and motioned with his head for the Asgardian turned Human, to step inside. "Right, it's that gray suit with the light blue shirt and matching tie. The shoes are on the rack by the floor, and you can get changed right in here. When you're finished, just come back out into the living room and we can get out of here and go shopping. Can you handle that, Fanny?" 

 

"Of course I can handle this, Anthony. I am not a child," Fandral retorted, as he started removing his Asgardian clothes. "Besides that, I know it is unwise for me to cause any trouble with Rejar and the other Asgardian guards around. I have accepted the fact that I am to be here in Earth, with them and you as my watch dogs, so do not trouble yourself over me misbehaving and trying to escape. Where would I go anyway, being human and without transport or any resources. No, you hold the keys to my captivity and I will resign myself to stay right here with you - plus there is the prospect of getting to know the lovely Miss Potts and that raises the stakes quite considerably." 

 

Fandral had been undressing himself from his clothes just inside the wardrobe, all the while he had been talking to Tony, and each part of his strong muscular body that came into view, he noticed how Tony stared at him in an appreciative manner. That is until he removed his Asgardian leathers, and then he smirked when the billionaire suddenly turned away and moved toward the bedroom door. 

 

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Fanny," Tony shot back, as he tore his gaze off the powerful ex-Asgardian, and moved out of his view, his fingers on the handle of the bedroom door. He was about to leave, but then peeked his head back inside as he spoke his words in an authoritative voice. "You can have her if you want, but just make sure you don't force yourself on her. You are already being punished for trying to have your way with Loki and Irene, plus the fact that you will be pulverized by myself, Happy, or your guards, with your sentence extended should you try anything stupid. Just, get yourself dressed already and meet me out in the living room in five minutes."

 

With that last comment, he glared at the ex-Asgardian, swung open the door, and then slipped out of the room, slamming the door a hard to get his point across to the man. He joined the others and poured them all more whiskey, except for Happy, who turned down another as he had to drive the limousine for Tony, and needed to keep a clear head if the three of them, were to go shopping for suits for the ex-Asgardian warrior. 

 

Fandral did not keep them waiting for too long, and when he emerged wearing the gray with blue pinstriped suit, he smiled appreciatively at them, and winked at Pepper when she stared at him with her own appreciative look. He spun around in a circle to show them how he looked. "Anthony, I must admit that I absolutely love this suit, it is of the finest quality and does indeed fit me perfectly. I thank you for giving this to me, it is much appreciated." 

 

"Yeah, yeah, Fanny, whatever you say, you're welcome. I can see Miss Potts is enjoying the view just as much as you yourself seem to be of yourself," Tony quipped, as he clapped his hands together and winked at the woman, shaking his head when she blushed and turned away from him. "Anyway - let's get moving, blondie, we have some shopping to do and then we need to get you settled into Stark Industries, which, you will be pleased to know Miss Potts will be assisting you with." 

 

"Now that is really great news, Anthony, any time spent in the company of this vision of loveliness. She is like an Asgardian Goddess to me," Fandral voiced, as he moved to stand beside Pepper, and kissed her hand in a gentlemanly manner. 

 

"All right, blondie, that's enough flirting for now, let's get going to the Men's store and get you some suits and proper human clothes," Tony said, as he grabbed Fandral's arm and pulled him away from Pepper. He did not do it because he was jealous, he merely did it because they were wasting time now, and he really needed to get Fandral situated into his new job and his life on Earth for the six months he had been banished for and given in to his care.

 

"Very well then, Anthony, please lead the way to whatever vehicle we will be using to go to this - men's shop - to get my clothes," Fandral remarked, as he bowed to the human and then winked at Pepper, smiling when she blushed. He yelped when he felt Tony smack him upside the back of his head as he pulled him toward the door which would lead down to the basement - where all of his vehicles were parked. 

 

"So, Fanny, you asked me which car I'd be driving today?" Tony asked, as the three of them moved through the garage, and he ran his hands over different vehicles, but then he stopped when he came to the silver Jaguar. "I think this beauty right here, my Iron Man red new convertible Jaguar will do the trick. Happy, buddy, if you would please sit in the back today, so Fanny can get the full feel of riding in this wondrous machine?" 

 

"Sure, Ton, not a problem," Happy answered, as he climbed over the right passenger front seat, and sat back against the soft leather seat, buckling himself in. 

 

Fandral watched in awe as Anthony motioned for him to sit in the front passenger seat of the magnificent driving machine, and when he sat down, he mimicked Happy and buckled himself in, then growled when Tony jumped over his body to get to the driver's seat.

 

"That's my boy, now you're learning," Tony quipped, as he winked at the blond man and started the engine of the car, moving toward the garage door, which Jarvis automatically opened for him. "Now, I suggest you hang on tight, Fanny, because this is going to be even more intense than traveling through the Vortex from the Bifrost on Asgard." With that, Tony stepped on the gas, used the clutch and burned out of the garage, racing down the winding driveway at a speed of 60 miles per hour. He laughed when Fandral screamed louder than a frightened little girl. "Oh, yes! I have missed this shit so much! Woo Hoo!" Tony called out, as he raced through the winding roads and mountains of Malibu, until he reached the city section, where all the shops were located. 

 

Fandral screamed when Tony first drove ridiculously fast down his winding driveway, with the cliffs looming over the side of the vehicle, he gripped the edge of his seat, but then once he became accustomed to it, he was screaming out in amusement along with the human inventor, now enjoying the fast moving vehicle as Tony drove it so expertly through the winding roads of his home Realm. 

 

Tony was pleased to see Fandral was finally letting loose and having a fun time, as he sped the Jag around the winding roads faster and whipped down the mountain at top speed, Happy soon joined in on the fun. Tony switched on the stereo, and soon AC/DC Shoot to Thrill was blaring from the speakers of the car, with Tony singing along to the lyrics and Fandral and Happy staring at him with looks of disbelief that he could hit the high notes so perfectly. Soon, all three of them were singing together and having a blast when they finally reached the bottom of the mountain, and sat at a light which led into the city center where the shops were located. 

 

Tony parked the car in the spot which was reserved for him in front of the Armani shop, and he patted Fandral on his arm, as he grinned when the Ex-Asgardian slash now human stared at him with a shocked expression. "Well, you know, I am Tony Stark, and I do get my suits made here. What do you expect, Fanny. Come on then, I can see my guy is in there now, so we can be in out of here and off to more shops for your regular clothes in no time." 

 

The three of them stepped out of the car and walked on either side of Tony, who had smiled and waved to his tailor inside the Armani shop. He laughed and hugged the man when they entered and smiled when he embraced him in return. "Hello, Arturo, it is so good to see you again." 

 

"Buongiorno, Anthony. It is indeed wonderful to see you again. I see you have brought a new friend to see me, yes?" Arturo asked, as he patted Tony affectionately on his face. 

 

"Yes, I have indeed. Arturo, this is Frank Blond, my new assistant for Stark Industries here in Malibu. He is need of some of your finest suits, in all the colors you have," Tony stated, as he patted Arturo's hand which was still on his face, and carefully removed it. He stepped aside so Fandral could step forward on his own, and winked at the ex-Asgardian. 

 

"Hmm, very too, Anthony. I see that is - rather a large, bulky muscled fellow," Arturo remarked, as he smiled at the handsome blond, then moved around his body in a full circle, his eyes moving over his muscular body, quite pleasingly, as he hummed his approval and even touched parts of his body to garner his correct size. Once he was finished with his assessment, he clapped his hands and stepped back from Fandral, and flashed him a huge friendly grin, as he crooked his finger for him to follow. "Please, Signor Blond, come with me to the back of the shop. I have some suits already made which will fit you - perfectly. You must still try them on to see if I need to make any - alterations. Anthony, you and Signor Hogan will also join us. Come, come, there is some Espresso in the back as well. You both will sit and wait while I tend to Signor Blond." 

 

Tony and Happy smiled at Arturo, and Tony slapped Fandral on his back, as he moved him to follow behind Arturo to the back of the shop. "Come on, Fannie, Arturo brews the best Espresso this side of the West Coast, you'll love how strong it is. Trust me when I say he already knows what size you, and he will give you none but the best fitted and tailor suits which will accentuate your body perfectly." 

 

"Hmm, yes, I can see the human is really quite adept at his craft of suit-making. You were right to bring me here, Anthony, and I thank you," Fandral voiced, as he smiled warmly at Tony for the first time since being brought down to Earth for his punishment.

 

"Well then, I guess it's safe to say that I have made you happy, Fannie, and that will also make Odin and Heimdall even happier that you are cooperating with me now," Tony shot back, as he clapped his hands and snapped his fingers together, then moved to the table where Arturo had the Espresso already brewed. He smiled at Happy as his friend poured Tony a cup of the hot liquid and then for himself. He shook his head when Happy offered him a chocolate Biscotti, and then the two of them sat down on the comfortable sofa as they watched Arturo fussed over the blond ex-Asgardian.

 

Fandral, meanwhile was totally lost in the feeling of the human man, who was of the Italian descent, as he spoke in a very thick accent, fussing over him. Once he had changed into the first dark blue suit, with the tie and cuff links, he moved to stand in front of the man. Then he smiled as he moved his hands over his body to make certain the suit fit him. He raised his eyebrows when the Italian man suddenly clapped his hands together and called out. "What ever is the matter, my good man? Have I done something wrong?" He asked, as he stared down at the man, for he was a couple feet taller than him. 

 

"Oh, no, my dear Signor Blond, there is nothing wrong. It is just that the suit I made fits you - perfectly. You are very strong and muscular and really quite tall," Arturo voiced, as he moved around Fandral once more then turned to smile at Anthony. "Well, my dear friend, Anthony, what do you think of this first suit? Does it not fit Signor Blond very well?" 

 

"Yep, it fits him like a glove, Arturo. You did another fantastic job, as always," Tony quipped, as he sipped at his Espresso and waved his hand at Fandral to move back to the dressing room. "That one's a keeper, so try on another one, Frank." 

 

"You are very bossy, Anthony Stark - for being my - keep- Erm - just my boss. Fine then, I shall retire to the dressing room again, boss man," Fandral retorted, as he rolled his eyes and returned to the dressing room to try on the next suit. Over the next half hour, he had tried on suits in every color, black, tan, white, pink, red, and even a light green. 

 

Arturo fussed over him and only had to do a few alterations on a couple of the suits, taking them out a bit to make them fit perfectly on Fandral. When he was done, he clapped his hands together and pushed the blond back inside the dressing room so he could remove the suit and let it be put inside the garment bag with it's other counterparts. 

 

Tony smiled at Happy and motioned with his head for him to pay for the suits with Tony's credit card, which he handed to his friend, and sat with Fandral, who had joined him on the sofa to enjoy a cup of the Espresso. "You know, Fanny, you're gonna need some nice Italian leather shoes to go with these suits. Plus, we're not done shopping yet, I still have to get you some regular clothes to wear as well, everyday clothes and casual wear, like regular shirts and jeans, as well as a nice pair of boots and some trainers. For that - we'll go to the local mall - which is right down the road, that sound all right to you?" 

 

Fandral frowned at Anthony when he spoke of doing more shopping, but then he realised he would be there on Earth for six month. He was a human now, and needed to comply with his keeper's idea's now matter what they involved. He knew he had to prove to Odin that he was willing to repent for his crimes he had committed against Loki and Irene. He sighed and shook his head as he finished off his Espresso, as he leaned in and spoke quietly with the human, while the other human rushed off to pay for his expensive suits. "Very well, Anthony, I agree to your ideas of more shopping, only because I cannot just wear suits every day, just as you do not. I wish to fit in here on Earth, and to be comfortable as well as looking classy and flashy as much as possible. I will not just wear anything though, and I must tell you now that I am very fussy in what I place upon my body, and if I must be dragged around this horrid sounding Mall you speak of, then I want to choose my own clothes. If that is an acceptable request to my keeper, then I shall greatly appreciate your agreement." 

 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just zip it with calling me your keeper when we're around other humans, blondie. I don't want anyone to get suspicious about why you're really here," Tony retorted, as he poked Fandral in his chest and laughed at his mortified look. "What is that look for, hmm? I just don't want to have to explain to everyone why you are really here and who you really are. Do you get my drift, Fanny?" 

 

"Yes, I understand what you mean, Anthony, there is no need to be so harsh about it. I promise I will behave and not blow your cover - or mine - for that matter," Fandral voiced, as he stared into Tony's brown eyes and patted him on his cheek in a playful manner. 

 

"Whoa there, Fanny, don't touch the merchandise," Tony retorted, as he pushed the ex-Asgardian's hand from his face and glared at him with a menacing stare. "That's what got you into trouble in the first place. I suggest you keep your pants zipped, blondie, or I'll have to punish you if you don't, you got that?" 

 

"All right, all right, Anthony, there is no need to threaten physical violence to me now, I promise to behave. I was only jesting with you, I know not to touch you, you belong to Loki," Fandral shot back, as he stood up and moved to the Espresso machine, pouring himself a small amount in one of the tiny china cups. He took a sip and made a satisfied moue, then he picked up one of the strange long confectionery biscuit cookie things and took a bite of it, also smiling when he tasted the almond and vanilla flavors mixed together. "Mm, this is really quite delicious. What do you call this little beauty?" 

 

"That is called a Biscotti, and that beverage is called an Espresso. Both are Italian delicacies," Tony said, as he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled smugly at the ex-Asgardian. "Arturo enjoys the finer things in life, and he loves his customers. So he gives them these nice refreshments while they are shopping in his store. I'm glad you like them though, blondie, it's good to see you fitting in here on Earth. After all, you are here for six months." 

 

"Well then, I wish to make a request of you, Anthony. I wish for us to purchase these Biscotti and to drink this Espresso for your - home. If that would be all right," Fandral shot back, as he flashed Tony a winsome smile and finished eating the Biscotti, and then the beverage. He sat down beside the inventor and folded his hands in his lap.

 

"Sure thing, Fanny, I'll be sure to pick some up when we go to the mall. There is a little Italian food market there," Tony quipped, as he clapped the blond on his shoulder, then looked up when Happy approached them, carrying the garment bags with Fandral's suits inside them. "Ah, Happy, my friend, are we all ready to go?" He asked, as he took the proffered credit card from his friend and stood up from the sofa. He reached out and grabbed Fandral by his bicep when he did not follow his lead. 

 

"Yes, Tony, we are all squared away here. I guess it's off to the mall for this one then?" Happy asked, as he stared over at the blond man with his eyebrows raised when he just looked indifferently at him for his question. 

 

"Yep. He needs some regular clothes, and I'm guessing he's probably going to be more of an Abercrombie and Fitch kinda guy, maybe even Hollister or Dolce & Gabanna," Tony voiced, as he moved them toward the front of the store, where Arturo was waiting for them. "Arturo, my friend, thanks for helping out with the suits for Frank, I appreciate it." 

 

"Ah, Anthony, it was my pleasure, my dear friend. You know you are always welcome here, as are your friends and employees. Have a wonderful day, and do take care of yourself," Arturo replied, as he kissed both of Tony's cheeks, in his Italian style, then he shook his hand. Moving toward Happy and Fandral and repeating the action. 

 

Tony waved to his friend as they walked out the door, and got the key fob out of the pocket of his denims, then he unlocked the doors and the trunk, so Happy could lay the garment bags in the trunk. "All right you two, let's get in the car and get over to that mall. We have a lot of ground to cover, what with Fanny needing shoes, boots and sneakers, plus other casual clothes. Chop, chop now, let's not dilly dally here." Tony ordered, as he motioned for the two of them to get into the car, then sat behind the wheel, moving out of the spot as he made his way to the big mall about 5 miles up the road. 

 

When they arrived in the large mall, Fandral stared around at the building with a perplexed look on his face, as he turned to Tony and shook his head. "What is this place, Anthony? Where you have brought me now?" 

 

"I already told you, Fanny, this is the mall I spoke of. Inside that building are all these little shops where you buy things, and I know just the stores we will be hitting, so don't worry about it. Just stick close to Happy and I, and you'll be fine, blondie," Tony answered, as he parked his car in a spot right at the front entrance, in a small enclosure which he had reserved just for him, well, for anyone at Stark Industries. "Come on now, guys, let's get in there and finish up this shopping day. I need a drink after all this, and I want to order in for dinner, so we can decide what to get later on." 

 

"Fine, Anthony, I shall follow your lead and not stray from both of your sights. I have a feeling I will be very overwhelmed being inside this - mall structure," Fandral retorted, as he opened his door and stepped out of the car, standing beside Happy while they waited for Tony to pile out of the driver's seat. He moved to stand beside the other two, and then reached his hand inside the inner pocket of his jacket for his sunglasses. After he threw them onto his face, he motioned for them to follow him as they made their way inside the main entrance of the large mall. 

 

Fandral whistled loudly when they walked through the strange sliding glass doors and saw all the stores and shops inside the large building. "My, my, but this place is - truly overwhelming and really quite tremendous. Anthony, please, show me around this maze of a place now. I wish to see as much of this place as I am able to."

 

"Right, sure, Fanny, just walk with me and you'll be blown out of your mind," Tony shot back, as he clapped his hands together and motioned for them to move through the mall. He was taking them to the Abercrombie and Fitch store to get Fandral some nice casual clothes, and then to the Italian shoe shop to purchase him some really fine leather shoes. He knew the ex-Asgardian would probably like some boots and he would make sure he had some really nice Converse high-top trainers as well. 

 

So it was the three of them moved through the mall, and made their way to the first store - the infamous Abercrombie and Fitch shop, where they were greeted by a very eager young man. This young man recognized Tony and was buzzing around him, fussing over him the moment he laid eyes on him. "Oh, wow, Tony Stark - Iron Man - I can't believe you're here in our store today. My name is Kyle, what can I do for you today?" 

 

"Mmhmm, thanks for the accolades, Kyle, but you can't do anything for me, more like you can help my new assistant here, Frank Blond. We need some comfortable everyday clothes for him, and as you can see, he is rather - muscular," Tony said, as he waved the kid away from him, he was standing way too close for his comfort. 

 

Kyle stepped back from Tony, but was not offended, he knew the genius billionaire was a very personable man, so he respected that. "Oh yes, of course, I understand, Tony. So, Frank, come with me, well, all you please follow me, and I will help you with some wonderful things we have just got in on our latest shipment." 

 

"Certainly, Kyle, please, lead the way," Fandral answered, as he raised his eyebrows at how eager the human was. He was excited himself as he stared around at all the humans in this one little shop, but he made certain not to lose sight of Kyle as he moved toward the back of the shop. 

 

"So, Frank, I can see that you are tall, and very muscular in build. What are you, a 44?" Kyle asked, as he eyed Fandral appreciatively, especially his chest and arms. 

 

Fandral smiled down at the young man when he complimented him and eyed him appreciatively, his chest and arms and his waist, and he shook his head at hearing his words. "Yes, Kyle, that sounds about right. Do you have clothes that size in here?" He asked, as he picked up one of the dress shirts. "This looks rather small for me. Do you not agree?"

 

Kyle flashed Fandral a winsome smile, before he pulled the shirt out of the handsome man's hand, then folded it back to the pile on the display stand. "Yes, that shirt is much too small for you, Frank, and that is why I was leading you to the back of the store, where we keep the - heavily muscled and larger chested clothes. Come on now, keep following me." He quipped, as he clapped his hands together and moved to the back of the store.

 

Tony and Happy laughed and nudged one another, before Tony slapped Fandral up the side of his head, and then shoved him forward so he was walking again. "You heard the boy, Fanny, get your ass back there. We have a lot of stores to hit and no time to waste for you being a snarky ass." 

 

"Fine, Anthony, I am moving, you do not have to be so violent," Fandral retorted, as he glared then rolled his eyes at the human, dusting off his suit from being shoved around so brutishly. 

 

"Just shut up and get over there, blondie. You're supposed to be this strong powerful Asgardian Warrior, right? If you can't take a little ribbing from me, then you're not gonna make it while you're here," Tony retorted, as he rolled his eyes at the ex-Asgardian and smiled at Happy when he snickered beside him. 

 

Fandral just scowled at the two of them and moved toward where Kyle was, leaving them behind to sit down on the comfortable sofa while he chose his new human wardrobe with the young man. Over the next hour, he picked out an entire wardrobe of shirts, blue and black denims, and comfortable trousers in every color he liked. He also picked out the underwear the young man chose for him, glaring at Tony and Happy when they teased him and snickered loudly, behind him from the sofa. 

 

Kyle packed away all Fandral's clothes into two very large and easy to carry garment bags, and offered to have them brought to Tony Stark's vehicle. Happy paid for the items, and then walked with the young man to the Jaguar, while Tony dragged Fandral out of the shop, waiting for Happy to rejoin them by the small coffee shop he frequented whenever he was in this particular mall. 

 

Tony moved Fandral into the coffee shop, not one of those famous ones, just one called Java House, owned by an older Italian couple, who doted over Tony whenever he went in there. This time was no different as they both greeted Tony with warm embraces and kissed his cheek in the old world Italian way. Tony introduced Fandral as his new assistant for Stark Industries, calling him by his alias, Frank Blond, and they both greeted Fandral in the same manner as they had Tony, not a few minutes before. 

 

Fandral smiled warmly at them, and bowed his own introductions, still keeping his proper Asgardian mannerisms of respect, and watched as Tony ordered them three cups of their Cappuccino and their little Prosciutto and Gorgonzola cheese sandwiches, with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar, on an Italian Artisan bread. He loved the taste of the fresh meat and cheese so much, he ate four of the little square sandwiches. He smiled at Happy when he returned and was also greeted in the same friendly manner by the Italian couple. Over the next half hour, they all chatted and Tony made jokes at Fandral's expense, but the ex-Asgardian finally realised that it was his human's normal way of behaving, so he took it all in stride. He even got in a little bit of jesting as well, which of course made Happy laugh boisterously and made Tony roll his eyes at Fandral, but then he too laughed humorously after a while. 

 

Once they were finished inside the coffee house, Tony thanked his friends and said their goodbyes, then he brought Fandral to the Italian shoe shop, where he bought several pairs of leather shoes and boots, in different colors, next he took him to the Sneaker shop, where he bought him several pairs of Converse High top trainers in all the colors. After searching for more denims and regular button - down shirts in the Gap, which Fandral insisted on when he saw the mannequins in the shop window wearing the nice cut he thought he would like to wear. An hour later, they were laden with bags from all the shops they had visited, well Happy and Fandral were, Tony didn't like being handed things, so he moved them out of the mall to the car park, opening the large trunk to place the rest of the packages inside. Then he drove them back home to his Malibu mansion, and Happy and Fandral carried the packages from the garage to the ex-Asgardian's bedroom, where he proceeded to hang everything in the large wardrobe, then his shoes, boots and Converse trainers in the caddy beneath the wardrobe. The next few hours of this day was spent with Tony ordering Italian food for supper, and they all sat around watching his big screen plasma television. The Asgardian guards stayed in the background, eating the delicious human food, and Rejar made certain to keep an eye on Fandral. They were pleased to see he was adapting well to his life on Midgard - for his punishment, and after a few days spent in the Stark Mansion, all but Rejar would return to the Realm of Asgard, report to Heimdall and their King of his progress. 

 

So it was that Fandral was tutored by Happy and Pepper, and Tony, on what he would need to do for Stark Industries, in that, he would take care of all the personal assistant work for Tony, which meant going through emails, on the strange computer - holographic thingy - sorting through mail, and setting up any appointments Tony would need to speak to clients who had come to California to meet up with the genius billionaire. He thought it would be easy, this technology thing, yes, he could master this with no trouble at all, he was an Asgardian after all. How hard could it be for him to tackle a simple holographic email and computer thingy. Right? Right? Wrong. Full Stop. He had not conquered it - not at all - no, no, no! He had royally messed up this computer job. Wholly messed up - so badly, he cause the computer to malfunction, even to start smoking, which caused Jarvis to send Tony a distress call downstairs in his lab - where he had been working on a new prototype Iron Man suit - the Mark 42. Fandral was screaming at the computer thing, pounding his fits on the virtual keyboard, which caused it to beep incessantly, and which caused the ex-Asgardian to shout at it louder and pound his hands harder on the machine.

 

"Oh, do shut up and stop warbling, you stupid computer thingy! I am doing all I can to fix you, but you are not making it any easier for me," Fandral retorted, as he tried pressing buttons on the virtual keyboard, only to be shocked horribly, sending him stumbling backward off his chair.

 

Meanwhile, Jarvis had sent that distressing message to Tony in his workstation. "Sir, I think you should make your way upstairs, to the office room you devised for Mr. Fandral - or Mr. Blond - I am still not certain how to address him. He is making a shambles of your computer system, and I am afraid he has broken it, it is smoking and emitting horrible screeching noises."

 

"What, J, what the hell are you going on about? I just left him not an hour ago, he was doing fine with the computer-" Tony started to say and then the speakers were filled with the sounds of Fandral shouting and the high pitched warbling of a screaming and screeching and burning computer. "Argh! All right, all right, I'm on my way, turn that infernal racket off now, Jarvis!" Tony howled angrily, as he covered his ears with his hands and then bolted up the elevator to the office floor, where he had allotted to Fandral and Stark Industries. He pushed the glass doors open angrily, as he stormed into the office and stalked over to where the ex-Asgardian sat at the large desk, smashing the holographic keyboard on the computer. "Fanny, what the hell are you doing in here? What have you done to my equipment?" 

 

"Oh, do shut up and help me, Anthony!" Fandral shouted, as he stopped his smashing and stared up at his keeper - nae boss - with his own angry expression. "Before you start shouting your fool head off at me, I tried to do this on my own, from what you taught me only just this morning, even from the day before today, or I should speak as a human would, even yesterday. The computer malfunctioned and locked me out, even when I typed in that special code and password you gave me. I am sorry if I blew up the keyboard, I will help you fix it, if it's any consolation, or you can take it out of my first paycheck." 

 

Tony sighed as he listened to Fandral sprouting off his words of explanation and apology, and he stared at him when he told him he could dock his pay, then he laughed and shook his head. "Nah, not to worry, Fanny, I won't dock your pay. We'll just have a look at the thing, perhaps you are right, and it did malfunction. That is a new prototype and still has quirks with it." He said, as he moved an extra chair beside Fandral's desk, and flinched when the keyboard sparked again. "Yikes, you really killed this thing with your fists, man. Nah, I'm just kidding with you. So, let's take a look at this thing." 

 

"I see, so you are playing the tough guy, when really, you just enjoy making me sweat, thinking you will punish me, Anthony," Fandral retorted, and sighed in frustration when Anthony spoke his words and then shook his head when he realised the human was jesting with him. "Yes, that is what I asked you to do, not a moment ago. So, have at it, and fix it, so I can continue with my work already. I grow tired of your precious equipment breaking down on me, this my first day and all." 

 

"Yeah, yeah, just zip the snarky lip, blondie. I need to concentrate on fixing the mess you made," Tony shot back, as he pulled up the schematic of the holographic keyboard, then laughed when he realised there was indeed a small glitch in the patchwork and motherboard. "It seems you are right about my equipment being faulty, there's a glitch in here which I didn't see before, and neither did Jarvis, for that matter. It'll just take a sec for me to rework the mainframe and have the motherboard all fixed up and ready to use again." 

 

"Blah, blah, blah, as if I understand your technical jargon, Anthony. Please just shut up and fix the damn thing so it is easier to use," Fandral voiced, as he motioned with his hand of a mouth running on and on, and then moved to the small fridge to retrieve two bottles of water for them. He placed one beside the human and then opened his, as he watched the inventor's hands moving across the holographic designs. 

 

"All right, Fanny, calm down, I'll fix my equipment, don't worry. I need you to get back to work again too, so you can set up that important meeting with the Japanese Businessmen who are supposed to attend my next Iron Man Exposition at the Los Angeles Colosseum. I need to showcase my new Iron Man Suit, the Mark 42," Tony explained, his voice a teasing manner, as he giggled when he saw Fandral's bored looking face, as he continued his work in repairing the inner workings of the motherboard on the holographic keyboard and computer. He had pulled the pieces apart inside the holograph, and he separated them with his hands, tossing them aside in front of him, all of them falling away through the hologram, until he found the spot where the glitch had occurred. Once he had that spot in front of him on the hologram, he reached inside and pulled it out, then laid it out on the desk in front of him. "J, do me a favor, pull up the inner workings of the motherboard, let's see if we can't get this thing all repaired. There is a small technical glitch inside the circuits, which is causing it to crash whenever Fanny tries to open the email, or any of the other programs on the hologram Stark Computer."

 

"Yes, of course, Sir. May I suggest you have me put up some firewalls so you are not shocked by the said burnt out circuit?" Jarvis asked, in his usual snarky tone and manner.

 

"Sure, Jarvis, might as well. I'm not wearing my Iron Man suit, and I really don't feel like having any workmen in here to fix the wall in case the thing blows me away," Tony shot back, and laughed when a drawer opened up beside him and there appeared two mesh protective gloves for the inventor to wear for the delicate work. "Aw, thanks, J, you're so good to me." He said, as he winked at Fandral's shocked expression, but slipped them gloves onto his hands. 

 

"You are most welcome, Sir. Those should also protect you from any shocks you may still receive should the firewall not work," Jarvis added, as he automatically opened and set up the Firewall for the work Tony needed to do. 

 

"You're a star, Jarvis, this is just what I needed to complete the repair and reboot of the system," Tony voiced, as his fingers flexed inside the mesh gloves as they moved over the hologram of the motherboard - namely the section he needed to repair. He typed in the sequence of numbers into the small code box and it beeped loudly giving him access to reboot after the repairs. He moved his hands over the wiring and the circuits, the gloves sparked as they came into contact with the live feed, but Tony kept going until he sliced out the burnt out circuits then replaced them with the new ones inside the palms of the mesh gloves. The work only took a matter of minutes before it was all repaired, all the while the wires and circuits sparked over the gloves, but he did not feel it, because of the thick isolated flexible metal woven through the gloves. He finished the delicate work in under ten minutes, a new record for him, as he closed up the motherboard and sealed it up with the firewalls and then threw it back inside the holographic keyboard, all still using the mesh gloves. 

 

Fandral stood back by the door, keeping well away from the sparking circuitry, but he was in awe of how quickly Anthony worked, his fingers moving at lightning speed through the repairs he made. He could not believe it had only taken the inventor under ten minutes to complete the delicate work, but when he was finished only then did the ex-Asgardian moved back to the desk. "Well then, Anthony Stark, I see why they call you a genius and an inventor, that was really very impressive to watch." 

 

"Hey, thanks, Fanny, for the compliments. I appreciate it, but that's just the kind of stuff I do on a daily basis," Tony quipped, as he slid open the drawer to the desk and tossed the mesh gloves down the chute which slid all the way down the his lab. He sighed and closed the drawer, and then looked up at the blond. "Now that I'm finished here, you can get back to work, and I will too. We'll break for lunch at noon, and then we can discuss the plans for the next Stark Expo over cheeseburgers and fries, which I'm having delivered from that little mom and pop burger joint down in the town."

 

"Oh yes, of course, boss man, it's business as usual then," Fandral shot back, as he shooed Tony off his chair so he could sit down and winked at him when he did. "I will look forward to our lunch of cheeseburgers and fries, and I have to tell you, the Japanese businessmen have confirmed their reservations for the Stark Expo, as did the British contingency of over zealous fan boys who wish to witness the stellar works and new suit of the wonderful Tony Stark a/k/a Iron Man. Their words exactly written in the email from Mr. Nigel Stafford, Esquire the III." 

 

"Did you just use the word fan boys in that sentence?" Tony asked, as he smirked at the ex-Asgardian. "I'm loving the way you've really settled into the use of human lingo and the English language with its slang words." 

 

"Yes, of course, Anthony, that is really something to be commended upon. My speaking as if I am not a learned man, but more of a dolt who is unschooled in the ways of proper linguistics," Fandral retorted, as he rolled his eyes at Tony, but laughed in amusement at the human's compliment. 

 

"Yeah, whatever you say, Fanny, I think I understood - some of those words you just spat out," Tony said, as he patted Fandral on his shoulder and moved toward the door. "Anyway, that is great news about the Japanese and British contingency, I can't wait to talk about the Expo and get that new Mark 42 Iron Man suit all fixed up and ready for the show. So, I'll leave you to your work now, and I'll get mine done, see you in a few hours." He said, as he waved to him over his shoulder then left the office room to return to his work shop where he could finish up the final touches on the Mark 42. 

 

Over the following remaining months of Fandral's sentence on Earth, at Stark Tower, working under the tutelage of Tony, Fandral really blossomed at his job and became quite adept at the holographic computer and all his other duties. The Stark Expo was scheduled for the month of June, on the fourteenth day of the month, and the turn out was spectacular, with all the Avengers, minus Thor, who was still on Asgard tending to his own new duties as the husband of Loki, Tony's own lover as well. 

 

Tony was proud to show off the new Mark 42, the prehensile Iron Man suit which could be summoned remotely by controlling each individual piece of the armor, through state-of-the-art chips in Tony's body. It was a huge hit, and he also produced all the other suits he had been working on, and perfecting, using the special Asgardian oil Loki had left him. His friend Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts were there, as well as his other friend, Colonel Rhodes, who was happy to wear the new red, white and blue Patriot Suit Tony had also designed. The night was a huge success and Tony was commended highly, by the Japanese and British contingencies, and fan boys, which Fandral had called them. 

 

Fandral was the one to introduce Tony and bring him out on the stage, and he blushed when the human actually told everyone there he was his most trusted assistant and good friend, Frank Blond. He was pleasantly surprised to receive all the hoots and catcalls from the men and women in the audience. Oh, but he did not wish to steal the spotlight from Anthony, so he bowed and moved to the wings of the stage to watch along with the other Avengers, Pepper, Happy and Rejar, the Asgardian guard still there on Earth to watch over Fandral. Not that he needed to anymore, for the prisoner had done rather well. 

 

Once the Expo ended, Tony brought all his friends and fellow Avengers back to his mansion in Malibu, and they celebrated through the night. Tony was pleased to receive a message through his holographic computer from Loki, Thor, and Irene, congratulating him on keeping Fandral in line, and also to say they were proud he had done so well with the Expo. Loki promised he would personally be congratulating him when he returned to Asgard with Fandral once his sentence was over, and that made Tony's night even better.

 

There were only a few more months left for Fandral's punishment on Earth, with Tony as his keeper, and those were spent with the Ex-Asgardian performing his duties as Tony's assistant with Stark Industries quite well. Tony was pleased with the way things turned out, and on the night before he was supposed to bring Fandral back to Asgard, they had a chat and the blond admitted to Tony that he was truly and wholeheartedly sorry for what he had done to Loki and Irene. He told the inventor that he was well and truly reformed and he would never do anything to hurt either one of them, and so it was that Tony got him well and truly drunk on one of his best bottles of Scotch, to celebrate his redemption and full recovery. 

 

So there they were, sitting inside the living room, both of them splayed out on the white sofa, their drink in their hands and listening to Tony's favorite band, AC/DC, all the while they were having an animated conversation. Both of them spoke of their own adventures in their lives, Fandral about all the fun times he had had with Thor, Loki, Sif and the Warrior's Three, and now that Irene was back home on Asgard, they would have more fun adventures. While Tony spoke of all the things he had gone through as Iron Man, and how he had looked after Loki while he was there on Midgard, during the time he was being controlled by Thanos and the Other. 

 

Fandral smiled conspiratorially when Tony mentioned Loki, and he clinked his glass against the inventors, his words slurring when he spoke. "Mmhmm, so tell me, Anthony, how is Loki in bed, really?" 

 

"What?" Tony asked, in his own slurring voice, as he eyed the blond suspiciously and shook his head. "No, I can't do that. You're supposed to have been repenting and you told me you were not going to do that anymore." 

 

"I am not doing anything, Anthony, I can assure you," Fandral voiced, as he sipped more of his scotch and rolled his eyes at the man. "You do not have to tell me if you do not wish to. I was merely curious. I will not be touching Loki any time soon, my dear fellow, for I do not wish to be banned again." 

 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, blondie, I believe you. Don't get your knickers in a twist," Tony waved away his serious words, and rolled his own eyes at the warrior. "You really are a buzz kill, aren't you? Oh, very well, Loki is fucking amazing in bed, he's the best lover I have ever had. I do love him, Fanny, and I am honored the God chose me, a mere mortal, as his lover and second mate." 

 

"Well, then, that's wonderful, Anthony, I am so happy for you. Loki is a kind soul, and is very passionate, he loves deeply when he finds the perfect mate. Now, that he is married to Thor, and still has you as his lover, he is much happier in his life, and that pleases me. I see that I was really wrong and it was horrible of me to have tried to force myself on him, he did not deserve that. I shall make my full apology to him and Irene upon my return to Asgard," Fandral boasted, still slurring his words, as he laughed and smacked Tony on his shoulder in a drunken playful manner. He howled when Tony shoved at him and he nearly fell over the side of the sofa, only to be grabbed on his arm by the inventor to stop him from breaking his neck. 

 

"Whoa there, Fanny, take it easy there, don't want you breaking your neck now. Papa Odin wouldn't be too happy with me if I brought you back to Asgard in a body bag," Tony voiced, and then the blond's words finally sank into his mind, and he realised that the warrior was actually letting his feelings go for Loki, and that was a very good thing. "Well, blondie, it really sounds as if you've fully repented during your stay here. Papa Odin and Heimdall will be well pleased by that. Now, shut up and let's enjoy more of this brilliant scotch and this fantastic music for the rest of the night. We have to be up early tomorrow, for Heimdall the tiger-eyed God is coming to retrieve, you and I. Being that Rejar already returned to Asgard after the Expo."

 

For the rest of the night, they drank more scotch, then moved to vodka, as they chatted more of trivial things, each of their adventures, and listened to more music. They body finally passed out on the two sofa's around three in the morning, and Jarvis dimmed the lights and switched off the music for Tony, to allow them a few hours of sleep. He knew full well they would feel very hungover in the morning, so he would be sure to have the instructions for the cure to Tony to blend up, lying on the kitchen counter.

 

The next morning dawned and Jarvis was alerted to the imminent arrival of the God, Heimdall, as he landed on the balcony of Tony's mansion in Malibu. He made certain to allow him to enter through the sliding glass doors as silently as he could, so as not to disturb the two occupants who were fast asleep on the sofa's in the living room. The God smiled and shook his head when he saw the sight and condition of the two of them. He saw the empty bottles of alcohol strewn all over the table in between the sofa's and sighed as he moved to stand in front of them, then he slammed the hilt of his sword down on the hardwood floor to waken them. "Son of Stark, Fandral, the Warrior, you must both awaken now! I have arrived to take you back to Asgard!" 

 

"What?!" Tony shouted, as his eyes snapped open and he rolled over on the sofa to see who the hell was slamming things and shouting so loud at so early an hour. He yelped when he landed hard on the floor and cursed as he held onto his aching head, and tried to focus his eyes on whomever was there. He could see they were very tall, and dressed in the same type of armor he had seen on Asgard. "Shit! Heimdall, you're here, and really early too!" He called out, as he used the sofa to steady himself and scrambled back onto the soft cushions. "How the hell did you get in here?" 

 

"Excuse me, Sir, I allowed Heimdall entrance into the house. You did remember today was the day you and Mr. Blond - or - Mr. Fandral were returning to Asgard, did you not?" Jarvis intoned, in his usual sarcastic and sardonic British accent. 

 

"Of course I did, J, what do you think I am, an idiot?" Tony retorted, then pointed his hand at the ceiling in an accusatory motion. "Don't answer that, you snarky AI. Heimdall, I'm sorry, Fandral and I had a couple of drinks last night." 

 

"I can see that, Son of Stark," Heimdall voiced, as he pointed his right hand at the bottles which littered the table. "It would appear you had more than a couple, yes?" 

 

"Yeah - sorry about that," Tony said, and then threw a pillow at Fandral to wake him up. He motioned with his eyes when the blond cursed him and tried to go back to sleep.

 

Fandral's eyes flew open when he felt the presence of the Asgardian Gate Keeper. He shot up on the cushions of the sofa and smiled sheepishly up at the tall Asgardian. "Oh, my good Heimdall. Welcome to Midgard. Please - excuse mine and Anthony's appearance."

 

"Do you think you can deceive me, Fandral. You and Anthony will get yourselves cleaned up and made presentable. You are both a disgrace now," Heimdall voiced, but then sighed when the two of them stared at him with sheepish grins and smiled at him, begging him not to scold them. "Yes, of course it is all right. I was watching you both the entire evening. I shall not scold you, just get yourselves ready to leave now. You must be quick about this, for we have to return to Asgard - presently."

 

"Sure, Heimdall, we can do that, not a problem. Come on, Fanny, get to your room and shower. I will have the hangover cure from Jarvis waiting for us when you get out," Tony said, as he stood up from his sofa, pulled Fandral up from his and shoved him back toward his own bedroom. He rushed into the kitchen and thanked Jarvis for the note, as he quickly prepared the liquid inside the blender, and then drank his, before he rushed to his own bedroom and showered. He dressed in his black denims, emerald button down dress shirt and the matching emerald leather boots, feeling better after the shower and the hangover cure. He would wait until he was inside the living room to recall his Mark 42 Iron Man suit. 

 

When he made his way back to the room ten minutes later, he found Heimdall still waiting there, and Fandral walked out of the kitchen with his glass of reddish liquid. He drank it down, and shook his head, as he placed the glass on the coffee table and smiled at Tony. "I must say that - odd drink you made really cleared up my head from that Midgardian alcohol. Do you think it would work for Asgardian ale?" 

 

"I'm not sure, Fanny, but we can try it when we get back there," Tony quipped, as he slapped the blond on his shoulder and noticed he was once again dressed in his Asgardian leathers. He pushed him toward Heimdall and then quickly recalled the Mark 42. "Right then, Heimdall, we're ready for you." 

 

"Yes, I am quite aware of that, Son of Stark. Come now, both of you, I have waited long enough, and so has my King, Odin AllFather. We must go now," Heimdall voiced, as he held out his sword for both of them to take hold of. Then in a blinding burst of white light and heat, Tony felt them being transported through the portal which led them back to Asgard. He was anxious to see Loki and Thor, and to see how things would go with Odin when he reported on Fandral's time on Midgard.


End file.
